


Blood Moon

by SpiceHoney



Category: True Blood (TV)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Consensual Sex, Eventual Smut, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fictional Religion & Theology, Magic, Rewrite, Romance, Supernatural Elements, Vampires, Witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-20
Updated: 2019-08-26
Packaged: 2020-05-15 12:42:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 48,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19295977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpiceHoney/pseuds/SpiceHoney
Summary: After suffering the tragic loss of her coven, Raven Blackwood learned to enjoy her lonely and quiet witch life. Forced by her iron handed father to take a new coven she picks one in Shreveport Louisiana, where Eric Northman continues to mess up her life.Book 1 of 2, rewrite of season 4





	1. The Decree

It had just rained and the puddles reflected the lonely lights of the town. Raven’s steps echoed with the cold November air. The breeze ruffled the trees, shaking the last bit of leaves left from autumn. She shrugged as she put her hands in her leather jacket pockets. It was almost midnight, the witching hour, and if she didn’t rush her pace she would be late for the district meeting. Raven didn’t leave her house much, so her big blue eyes took in the quaint little town of Riverport. It was a small colonial and scenic town in Vermont, of maybe 8 thousand people. As she walked up the hill past the lushous suburbs, she couldn't help but dread tonight's meeting. It had been years since she saw all her fellow witches and warlocks last, and these meetings tend to only happen under bad circumstances. The last one happened four years ago when vampires came out to humanity, and it was absolute chaos. The witch community was in total panic when it happened, as if they were outed themselves. Things did not go well when they tried to come out in the 10th century. Tens of thousand witches and warlocks were killed by the crusades launched by the Pope, and many witch hunts have happened since.  
Raven squeezed up the pace and now that she was close to the “abandoned” church she could see figures quietly walking in groups all around her. She still felt a pit in her stomach for going in alone. Raven had lost her coven centuries ago, and watching the covens arrive together made her feel unbelievably alone. A feeling she swallowed. She looked through the faces and she didn’t recognize anyone.  
Maybe this won’t be so bad - she thought. People who knew her in this area often didn’t like her much, as almost all covens tried to get her to join them and she refused every single one of them - which is a really easy way to offend everyone you know as Raven found out. But make no mistake - none of these assholes wanted Raven because she was out in the cold, lonely, in danger or because they genuinely wanted her as part of their coven family. They just wanted her because it would look good to have a “pureblood” as they called it, in their covens. Petulant and racist - traits that Raven held with great disdain.  
The tall wet grass brushed against her boots. The Church of Night sat in a field between some large old trees just outside of town. It was a small wooden church, white paint peeling, candle light peaking through the boarded up windows. Covens of all over the Riverport area used to gather here weekly until the vampires came out four years ago. After that, they became quite bold and it was no longer safe to gather in non-residential spaces. Vampires and witches never got along, with both sides going to great lengths to harm another. Witches did have the upper hand after they cast the Invitatio spell three millennia ago, forbidding vampires to enter the houses of the living without invitation - You are welcome humanity.  
Raven slipped through the old creaky front doors. The pews of the small church were full, and people stood all around the walls. Candles lit the room from the sconces and the old candle chandeliers. The room was full of whispers and murmurs and the warlocks seated behind the tables up front - the district council members - talked amongst themselves, with the exception of Elijah Blackwood. He had his usual permanent frown on his face and looked sourly straight to Raven. His thick brows almost burying his blue eyes in disapproval - a look that she knew all too well, with Elijah bring her father. He didn't even pretend that he wasn't waiting for her. Elijah was also the Bishop, head of the Northeast American Witch Church of Night, and along with the High Priest or Priestess of each coven, they set the rules for this area of the continent. It was no secret that Elijah did not care for Raven one bit, bloodlines be damned. Raven broke eye contact with him before she could feel her face go hot, and with that, the loud echo of a gavel went through the room making the murmurs fall silent. Raven had promised herself to not say a word in this meeting. There’s no reason to go further up Elijah’s bad witch list.  
“Brothers and sisters of the night!” Elijah soared, getting up from his chair. “Thank you for travelling far and wide for this meeting!” The room stood still, with uneasiness. “I am glad everyone got here safely.” he said with a softer tone.  
Someone bumped her elbow, Raven turned her head only to find a friendly face - Emilia. Raven cracked a brief smile back. Emilia was a good friend, who lived up in Maine. Raven breathed a little easier with a friend in the room. Anxiety still gleaned the room. Why the fuck had the district council called a meeting?  
“This meeting has been deeply overdue, and for that I deeply apologize.” He paused. “The district council had great difficulty choosing on how to best go forward since the vampire’s great revelation, but since vampire Russel Edgington killed a mortal on live television we could not postpone our decision any longer.”  
The crowd stiffened up in confusion. What Russel did was despicable. He killed a news anchor and delivered a chilling manifesto about the superiority of the vampire race. Humans were absolutely losing it. But what exactly did it have to do with witches?  
“I, Elijah Blackwood along with the council of the Northeast American Witch Church of Night, have gathered you all here today to hear The Decree of 2010 B.C. -” the room burst with gasps and shouts. Raven’s eyes grew wide and she looked at Emilia who was equally shocked.  
“Did I hear correctly? A fucking decree?” Emilia asked her with her raspy voice. Raven stood still.  
The passing of a decree was extremely rare. Raven herself had only been alive to hear one other decree, and that had been 90 something years ago. A decree is a piece of witch law, which is added through the years, although most of them have been written millenniums ago. Like the Fae Treaty Decree of 1359 A.C in which Faes agreed to not read the minds of witches, and witches were forbidden of stealing a Fae’s light. The only decree Raven had witness in person was the decree of 1914 B.C that forbid witches from using magic in human wars.  
“Silence!” Elijah proclaimed, hitting the gavel on the table. “Silence fellow brother and sisters!” The room feel quiet once again. Elijah looked uncomfortable to proceed, he took a small sigh.  
“Our siblings of the night - the vampires - made the rather bold move of coming out publicly to human kind. With the invention of synthetic blood they claim they want to live peacefully and among humans. That they want to mainstream in society as their true selves. This, brother and sisters, puts us in peril. It only takes one powerful human to ask the question ‘ What else is out there’? For them to come looking for us. It is imperative that they do not find us” The room nodded.  
Raven had a hunch of where this speech was going and she did not like it.  
“This decree has a few items on it, so lets start -” a council member handed Elijah a scroll of parchment, which is he unrolled and read: “The Decree of Unity of 2010 B.C states that no witch, halfling, medium or psychics and other magic children shall not go covenless, as there is power and safety in numbers -”  
Elijah fucking did it this time. Raven felt a wave of rage and anger hit her chest.  
I will NEVER replace my coven! Raven thought with fervor. And I am most certainly NOT joining any of these assholes. The room had burst with questions and shouts. She felt Emilia’s warm hand holding hers, and that was the only anchor that held her from protesting herself.  
“Any coven with 12 or less shall take more in -” Elijah tried to continue in vain. No one could hear him.  
“Halflings Elijah?!” A man shouted above all others as he stook up from the pews. “ My Satan, have you lost your mind?” people in the crowd agreed.  
Raven could not roll her eyes more. Raven strongly disagreed with the elitist movement that prevailed in the Church of Night. Being a witch is not like being a werewolf - where you either are, or are not. Old blood or “pureblood” covens centuries ago - full witches and warlocks, often kept to their own, and only married and had children with each other. But throughout centuries of witch hysteria and hunts, witches and warlocks were almost wiped out of Western continent. They silently mainstreamed, marrying humans and having half witch children - halflings, which are still very powerful. Generation after generation, the full witch blood had watered down significantly, so with that, their powers. Halflings these days are magic children: mediums and psychics, some have a good intuition, but that was about it. Most of them are just regular people, no knowledge of Wicca, the Church of Night, or even believe magic is real.  
Raven guessed about a third of the people in this room were true halflings, although you could probably only get them to admit it by force feeding them a compelling truth potion. And it was this hypocrisy and societal shame that was so prevalent in this district that made Raven dislike most witches here. To Raven, covens weren't about power, status, or blood lines. They were about love, respect, protection, a chosen family. Raven loved her coven, and she still grieved their loss.  
“Silence!” Elijah roared one more time. “Silence before I curse you!” he threatened.  
Fearing Elijah would use magic to shut them up, the church hushed, but tensions were high.  
“We cannot let magic get out there. It is crucial that magic remains a figment of the human imagination! The best way to protect us, is to protect the weakest of us.”  
Raven wasn’t sure if she was more shocked that was she was being officially forced into a coven, or that her father was so progressive as to make these assholes call in halflings and magic children into their covens.  
“How are we supposed to find them without exposing ourselves?” another voice shouted from the crowd.  
“Message by the dead.” Elijah proclaimed. “After the next blood moon, be open for messages every friday after at the witching hour, they will find you.”  
Raven’s mouth ran dry. This would mean spirits would haunt mediums and others who had an affinity for magic and relay our message. This plan had more holes than a colander, Raven thought. Suddenly, hundreds of people being haunted by ghosts didn't seem like the best plan to maintain our society hidden. And what about play covens? Regular humans and magic children sometimes played magic in fake coven like groups for fun, how would we separate the magic from the non magic? What about those who suppressed their magic or didn't believe in it?  
“What if they don't want to join us?” Raven’s voice echoed in the church. All heads turned to her, and she immediately regretted opening her mouth. There goes her promise of keeping her damn mouth shut. There was a glimmer in Elijah's eyes.  
“Take them apart.” He said without hesitation.

* * *

Raven was the first person to leave the meeting once the gavel struck it’s final hit. She felt sick to her stomach storming down the hill.  
“Raven wait!” Shouted Emilia running across the field after Raven. Raven slowed down.  
“Can you believe that man?” Raven scoffed. “Join us or die?!”  
“I know. I know.” Emilia shook her head.  
To be taken apart is the most horrible fate of a witch. It is a ritual where someone is stripped from their powers, then killed. It was abhorrent how it was still even allowed. Raven was terrified of losing her powers. Of becoming mortal. Even if just before dying. Emilia let out a big sigh. She was a short witch, but beautiful. Brown hair, olive skin and the biggest brow eyes you'd ever see. She looked a lot like her sister Harriet, who belonged in Raven’s former coven.  
“I can't do it Emilia, I won't do it.”  
“I know you won't.” Emilia paused. Raven knew what she was going to say. “Move to Maine with us. I know I've tried before, but now with this stupid decree my coven has to make an exception.”  
Emilia's coven was well beyond capacity, at 25 witches. Usually covens run from 13-20 people, after that it becomes too suspicious to live among human kind. Plus there were other heavier reasons of why she couldn't join.  
“I can't possibly ask Lorena to join her coven Emilia.” Raven whispered.  
Lorena was Emilia and Harriet's mother, who to this day very much still blamed Raven for Harriet's and her covens death. Raven blamed herself too. Emilia didn't reply. They just walked down the street together in silence. The cold air blowing on Ravens long black hair.  
“HOLY SHIT!” Emilia shouted. “Tomorrow is your birthday Raven!” It was. Raven turned 454 tomorrow, but after the first 130 birthdays, it gets quite boring. “Damn that's too bad we are leaving tonight, I wish I could spend it you! We could go out, flirt with cute guys at the local bar, it would be a blast!”  
Raven scoffed and her cheeks went flushed. That was her idea of a fun birthday?  
“Emilia! That was fun in the 70s and 80s but I think I'm way too old for going to bars."  
“Bullshit Raven, you are the best at youth spells, you look like you're what, 27?” her looks was not what she meant but Raven couldn't help but let a little smile slip. She spent an embarrassing amount perfecting that spell. “I mean per Lucifer, when was the last time you got laid?”  
Raven let a laugh out loud.  
“Shut up Emilia, not all of us live in a coven full of hot guys.” She teased.  
“Nah, that got old 10 years ago. When we age this slowly, warlock's brains take twice as long to mature. I swear I'm living with teenagers half the time.”  
Raven felt a little sting of jealousy. She never lived with guys before, as her coven only had 5 other women. It would probably be incredibly loud, messy, the fights and quarrels. It sounded like fun really.  
“Let me send you a gift then,” beamed Emilia.  
“No, no…” Raven started.  
“No I insist! I'll send a super juicy gift. What do you like? Tall blondes?” She winked. Nothing good could come out of this, Raven was sure. Before she could protest someone yelled Emilia's name from the grassy hills of the church which were now getting distant.  
“I gotta go, they need me for the portal home.” Emilia gave Raven a last hand squeeze. “Have a good birthday Raven. And I hope you find your coven.” She said with a smile before running back to the field.  
“No gifts!” Raven shouted in vain.

* * *

It was 10 in the morning or so when Raven managed to get out of bed. It was a sunny day outside of Riverport Vermont. Ravens house sat hidden in the forest, by a lake. To say Raven loved this house was an understatement. It had five bedrooms, two bathrooms, a study, a living room, kitchen and a lovely sunroom outback, overlooking a beautiful lake. In the spring through summer Raven had a sizeable vegetable garden: tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, zucchini, squash and a beautiful pumpkin patch. She had five huge pumpkins that were the last thing left to be harvested this fall. Pumpkin loaves, muffins, pies, gnocchi - she had big plans for these orange babies. She returned inside, putting her heavy pumpkin basket from her hip and onto the counter. The light shone in her kitchen through the adjoining sunroom which had a sitting area adorned with houseplants. It was her favourite part of the house.  
As soon as the basket sat on the counter the pumpkins floated towards the sink, where the tap water started running. The broom waltzed in the kitchen, lazily sweeping a small pile of dust. Raven glanced at the radio on the counter where it turned itself on. The whole house was enchanted in some way or another. Raven spent a great deal of time enchanting every corner of the house, and she grew immensely attached to the house. It was like the house was alive in a way.  
A knock on the door sent Raven through the living room and into the foyer. She opened the door only to find a casually dressed Elijah Blackwood holding a tiny baby pig. He daylight showed her gray her father's hair had gotten.  
“You brought lunch did you?” Raven snarled.  
“Is that the way to greet your father?” He answered. They stood on the doorway awkwardly. “I have brought you a gift -” his arms stretched holding the little teacup cup pig. “happy birthday.”  
Raven took the squishy little pig from him -it was very soft and warm - as she stepped aside to let her father enter.  
“Oh wow, four hundred and fifty four! I was wondering how many birthdays it would take for you to remember. I know they don’t happen very often and -” Elijah gave her a glare that made her feel instantly cold “thanks… it should be a decent size for yuletide dinner.”  
“It’s not for eating Raven, I’ve brought you a familiar.” Raven blinked twice. She’s had farm animals for decades, but she hasn't had a familiar since she lost her coven. Elijah walked into the living room, and she followed “Maybe it will jog your memory on how it feels to not be alone in this house.”  
“Oh I'm not alone -”  
“The house itself doesn’t count Raven.” She frowned. It was really frustrating having her father disapprove of everything Raven was and believes in. Her own father, did not know her at all. Her mother died in childbirth, and Elijah left baby Raven with Agatha and her coven that same night. He was way too busy pursuing a political career to bother with fatherhood. He visited often when she was little, but once Raven reached the age of reason their track record went sideways . Her father was just, as her coven put it, a colossal asshole.  
They sat quietly in the living room. The kitchen’s radio faintly playing in the background. The feather duster was dancing on top of the piano, following the ticks of the grandfather clock in the corner. The silence was deafening, more than Elijah’s furrowed face, always studying her. Raven put the little pig on the floor and it started to sniff around the room, with its little curly tail bouncing. It was absolutely adorable.  
“Does it talk?” Raven asked, filling the void.  
“Next blood moon won’t happen for a while,” Elijah wildly changed subjects. “End of next summer I think. But I have a long list of reputable covens for you Ra-”  
“No.” she cut him short.  
“Raven I have been very patient and gave you plenty of space to grieve, but this is ridiculous. You are a Blackwood.”  
“No father, this decree is ridiculous.”  
“I honestly thought you would approve,” he leaned back on the couch, crossing a leg. “Leaving blood lines behind us was a fight we had how many times?”  
“But to kill innocent people for it father?”  
“If it means keeping our covens safe, why not? After all, I thought you of all people would understand.”

* * *

”Honestly, FUCK him!” Raven shouted at the little pig who was laying on the living room ottoman. He blinked his little eyelashes at her.  
Raven had spent the rest of her birthday getting… really drunk on expensive wine from her cellar. The TV was on, MTV playing on mute while she blared music on the stereo. She sang on and off, wine bottle in hand.  
“I ain’t joining shit!” she continued. So far, the little pig has been good company. And he was so unbelievably cute. How could she ever eat bacon again?  
She waltzed into the kitchen and plopped on the barstool by the island. And soon as she realized she was hungry, the fridge door opened and a pumpkin pie floated towards her. She grabbed a spoon from the counter and went at it. As everything this kitchen concocted, it was delicious. She was feeling pretty woozy, having drank so much on an empty stomach. She was not looking forward to this post birthday hangover. Her little pig came into the kitchen, little hooves tip tapping on the tiles.  
“You need a name,” Raven bent over to grab the piglet but she lost balance and fell off her barstool, crashing ungracefully onto the floor. The pig came to her, sniffing her face, tickling. “Lucifer. You are Lucifer the pig.”  
She lay on the warm kitchen floor, staring at the spinning ceiling. This specific spot was warm because it was near the boiler downstairs. She grabbed Lucifer and cuddled with him while singing Amy Winehouse probably completely off key.  
A lonely witch, drunk on the kitchen floor, hugging a piglet on her birthday and singing her heart out - her usual birthday rituals, plus pig. It wasn’t until the pause between songs that she heard the knock on the door. She hesitated for a second. Emilia’s gift? she thought. She got up, leaving Lucifer on the floor, and walked towards the foyer, adjusting her hair and muting the stereo. The house fell silent once again. Through the frosted front door glass and the porch light, she could see a tall blonde figure standing outside. She opened the door.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's notes: Hello there! I know I'm hella late to the fandom here, but what can you do. There is a lot of OC in this fic. Universe inspired in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Supernatural and Charmed, but no need to watch those shows, I will explain everything the best I can. I don't think True Blood did witches any justice, so I'm trying to fix that. The story will follow season 4 somewhat closely but it may deviate after that. I have written about 7 chapters already, I'm guessing it will be about 12 chapters long. I will post 2 chapters today (because they are already up in another platform), and it will be weekly after that!
> 
> Don't forget to favourite/review!
> 
> Anyway, enjoy :)


	2. The Black house

It had been three months since Sookie’s disappearance and Eric tried just about everything to find her. He was still haunted by the fight they had the last time they spoke. He had broken her heart, even if it was with the truth. He did not feel her presence since that night. She had simply vanished. He had hired detectives, werewolves couldn’t track her scent. He looked for her in three other states where she had distant relatives - relatives that didn’t even know Sookie Stackhouse existed. Eric did not like not having the answers. One thousand years on this earth, and nothing had quite puzzled him like this. He knew she was still alive, he didn’t know how he knew, but he knew. She had to be.  
This deep rabbit hole he fell in looking for her had brought Eric to fucking-nowhere-ville Vermont. He flew over the woods, trying to find a “Black Victorian house by Shelton Lake” as per Doctor Ludwigs instructions. He had paid out of his ass for this information. Apparently this really old witch was the industry’s best at tracking. She was literally his last hope.  
He was almost getting tired from flying when something caught his eye: square lights coming from a shadow over a small clearing. That must be the house. As he landed in the woods, he decided to do a lap around the house to make sure there were no traps, and maybe to find out how many witches lived here. He didn't know much about witches, he had never met one. But he had heard plenty of stories that they were not to be trusted, and they didn't trust vampires either. The lights were on, and Amy Winehouse blared through the windows. Behind the house was the lake, and off to the side there was a small wooden chicken coop and the leftovers of a vegetable garden. There was one red mini cooper parked out front, and no other tire tracks. A meticulous garden was planted all around the house. The house looked a bit intimidating, being all black. Shingles, roof and windows and trimmings.  
Eric grew nervous as he approached the black porch. Witches were dangerous creatures. No vampire was exactly sure of what they were capable of, all he knew is that real witches were rare these days. Some humans had a drop of magic in them, but that was about it. As the saying went, you could only trust a witch as far as you could throw her. He assumed it wouldn’t be very far, he never tried. The somewhat sheer curtains were drawn in, so Eric couldn’t make out much from the outside. Gentle wind chimes swayed on the porch spandrel. He looked for a bell, but there was none. Stiffening his back, he knocked. Amy Winehouse continued singing, but there was no movement. He knocked again. There’s no way there is no one home. He walked around the porch, trying to peak. He doubled check the lack of bell. He knocked again, and after a second he heard floorboards creak inside. The sound of several deadbolts clicking and clacking echoed in the porch, and the door swung open.  
A fair skinned woman opened the door. She wore only a black satin strappy dress that went past her knees and no shoes. She had smooth and long black hair, plump lips and big blue almond shaped eyes. She was absolutely stunning Eric thought.  
“Are you a stripper?” She asked with a warm voice and a smile.  
Eric blinked. He was a what?  
“Uhm. No.”  
“Aw that’s too bad.” She giggled. There was something so seductive in her smile. It was carefree.  
“I could be, if you invite me in.” This is not where he saw the night going, but Eric could not resist the temptation. All it took for her to be naked right now was those two thin dress straps and this stupid door.  
Slowly her smile faded and her gaze focused on the wind-chimes. She stepped aside and fused in the piece of furniture beside the door, looking for something, rustling papers and oddities.  
“Fuck where did I put the -” she muttered. Eric didn’t quite know how to respond. “Ah!” She stood again in the door frame with a tiny key sized silver bell. She shook it gently.  
Its high pitched ringing vibrated through every bone in Eric’s body, and it was mildly painful. His fangs descended angrily. That must have been a magic bell, and Eric remember why he didn’t trust witches.  
The witch stiffened up and her smile was gone. Gently she put the bell back down on the table, and her other hand touched the door. Her eyes went dark, she was ready to slam the door shut.  
“I would like to hire you for your services.” He said quickly and the small witch froze still.  
“What do you want.” She grunted.  
“I need you to track someone.” He paused. “And I’m willing to pay good money for you to find her.” Her brows raised. He continued “She disappeared two months ago, in Louisiana.”  
“Walk around back.” she shut the door, and he could hear the floor creaking away. He did as instructed. He walked around the black house, passing the car and the vegetable garden, and walked on in the little deck off a sunroom. She appeared in the sunroom a second later, and opened a set of french doors. In the sunroom had a small sitting room surrounded by a jungle of plants, just off a kitchen. It looked really cozy in there. She pulled a wicker arm chair closer to the door frame.  
“I would love to sit down, but you’ll have to invite me in.”  
“Ha!” She let out a fake laugh. She sat down and motioned for him to sit on a wooden Adirondack chair out on the deck. “Over my dead body I invite a vampire in this house.”  
Eric’s forearm rested on the doorway, and he looked down on the pretty witch sitting in front of him, feet tucked under herself. He could hear noises from the kitchen but saw nobody. His voice smoothed as he tried to draw her eyes in his. He would glamour his way in.  
“You want to invite me in Raven Blackwood.”  
“Dude, sit the fuck down.” she ordered curtly. Then, feeling rather annoyed, he complied. Glamouring did not work on witches - noted.  
“So, tell me about who got away vampire.”  
“A friend.”  
“Go on.”  
A flying mug came slowly floating out of the kitchen, steam coming out of it. She gently caught its ear and nestled it in her lap.  
”Sookie Stackhouse, from Bon Temps Louisiana. She is 26, waitress, about five foot five, blonde, brown eyes, a solid C cup-“  
”Did you love her?“ she interrupted.  
”What does that have to do with anything?“ he replied.  
”Interesting,“ she took a sip of her tea. ”did you, say, feed her your blood?“ She asked curiously.  
”Yes. And I had hers. But I can’t feel her anymore.“ Her eyes landed on the floor, as she sipped more tea. ”I know she’s alive, I just.. Can’t find her.“  
”Have you tried -“  
”Private eyes, werewolves, enemies, relatives, yes.“ he interrupted.  
”Okay.“ she raised her brows. ”But I am very expensive.“  
”How about forty thousand dollars?“ he asked. She hid behind her mug for a moment.  
”People who can only give me money, are actually quite poor.“  
What? That didn’t even make sense, Eric thought. Money powered everything, moved everything, fixed… almost everything.  
”How about your fangs!“ She smirked. Eric stood up at once. That wasn’t funny even if it was a joke. ”Come on! I’m two ingredients away from Witch Bingo! They grow back…“  
”Fifty thousand dollars or I walk.“  
”Fine, fine, Jesus. Sit.“ She looked outside. A crescent moon was up in the skies, shining on the still lake water. The shore far away was sparsely dotted with houses. Eric could only make out the silhouette of the trees around her house. In the forest, pitch black. “I’ll take your stupid money, but I will need something of her”.  
Eric opened his leather jacket zipper and pulled out a clear bag from the inside pocket. He threw it by her chair. Inside the bag was a photo of Sookie with her dumb brother from three Thanksgivings ago, and a used hair brush. Both items stolen by glamouring the same dumb brother.  
“That will do.” a little pink piglet came down running from the kitchen and sniffed around the bag.  
“Is that how you track people? With a pig?” he asked curiously. Was he about to give a a walking sausage fifty thousand dollars to track Sookie Stackhouse?  
“That pig is Lucifer.” she stated, watching the pig runaway with the bag in its snout.  
Eric wasn’t sure if he should ask if the piglet is … the real Lucifer, or just named Lucifer. With Raven, he felt more out of place than a fish out of the water. She took another long sip of her tea.  
“Come back tomorrow at sundown. I will have your answer by then.”  
Eric cocked an eyebrow. He’s been almost three months at this, and this chick can do it in a day? She inspected inside her mug and twisted it around, looking focused at the bottom. She looked away, putting the mug back down in her lap, with a wrinkle between her brows.  
“You okay?” Eric asked..  
“It’s going to rain tomorrow.” She quickly showed him the bottom of the mug, covered in specs of tea leaves. He couldn’t make out any shapes, but she quickly placed the mug on a side table.  
“There is an app for that you know.” he said and she gave a sad smile. Eric got up.  
“What’s your name?” she asked, also getting up.  
“Eric Northman.”  
“Alright, Eric Northman.” she grabbed the french doors, ready to close them. “You will have your answer by tomorrow.”  
“And you will have a very rich pig.” He flew straight up, basking in the cold November moonlight.

* * *

Next morning Raven woke up earlier than usual. She tried to fall back asleep in her big bed, but no avail. Her mind was on the very very handsome vampire. He was much taller than her, with piercing blue eyes and short dirty blonde hair. He had wide shoulders but a slender build. And his voice, his voice could melt a siren. He looked like he walked straight out of a men's cologne commercial. He was pure sex, but in human form. Well, kinda. She remembered her drunk ass asking him if he was stripper and a wave of embarrassment drowned her. She sees one hot guy and that was the first thing she said.  
“GOD I am so lame” she whined. In her defense, she thought Emilia sent him.  
Little Lucifer twitched in his dreams, but he was still fast asleep at her feet. She was growing attached to the little ball of pink already. Elijah was definitely trying to soften her cold witch heart, and it was definitely working. She didn’t know what was worse, her father getting into her head, or a vampire.  
She went to the kitchen hoping for coffee, but all she encountered was her tea mug from last night, sitting on the island.  
“I know!” she blared to the house. “The alligator on the tea leaves! You don’t have to tell me twice!” She could feel the floor slightly tremble from the boiler downstairs and it echoed all the way to the upstairs. She washed the mug in the sink. “Can I get my coffee now?” she muttered.  
To the house’s credit, the alligator on your tea leaves is not a good omen. It means someone in your life is going to yield problems, and they are coming your way. Concealed enemies, traps and treachery are upon us, etc, etc. Although divination was always incredibly vague, and not really exact magic.  
She left the kitchen and went into the study. This was her favourite room in the house, and it was also the biggest. It had fourteen foot tall ceilings, one wall fully covered in bookshelves, from the floor all the way up. There was a big oak dining table in the middle, with a lonely armchair tucked in. There was a large pentagram carved right in the center. On the other two walls, the shelves were covered in dusty jars, boxes and containers with the most varied potion ingredients. From crystals, rocks, and sand from remote areas of the world, leaves and roots of exotic plants, dried flowers and fruits that had long gone extinct, small bones and hairs of several magical creatures, it was too many to list. By the window was a cabinet topped by a stone counter, where her cauldron sat.  
She walked to the cabinet and started pulling up maps. Tracking people wasn’t that hard really, you just needed good maps to show where were. She unrolled her United States map onto the table, and grabbed four quartz crystals to hold down each curly corner down. She opened the clear bag Eric gave her and examined the photo. In it was a blonde tanned woman, with an easy laugh (although, a gap tooth) hugging a blond man, judging by the resemblance, her brother. Raven wandered what this woman meant for Eric. Probably a lot, considering how much he was willing to pay to find out.  
But it wasn’t the photo she needed. She grabbed the hair brush and with a pair of tweezers she pulled a single strand of blonde hair. Raven gently placed it in a black ceramic bowl. She walked over to her ingredient shelves and added a clear crystal and some myrrh to her bowl. She lit candles around map. First she needed to create a Sookie pawn. It was a magic magic that would represent her energy on this plane, and then the pawn would move onto her location on the map with the correct spell. Easy peasy.  
She placed her bowl in the middle of the pentagram carved on the old oak, she said the spell.  
“Spirity alligandi carnis lapidi”  
There was a burst of flame from the bowl, much taller than usual and she stood back in reflex. Shit I'm out of practice she thought. The fire subsided and left in the bowl was a small golden opal cone and the ashes of myrrh. The crystal had successfully transformed. Her coffee came floating from the kitchen. She took a sip and sat it down on the table quickly before placing the pawn at the bottom of her map.  
“Alright, let's see where you're hiding miss Stackhouse.”  
She spoke the second spell.  
“Haec ipsa dea noctis quaerere, hoc corpore saxum, locum tuum revelare.”  
Nothing happened. The opal cone stood still at the edge of her table. Confused, she repeated the spell louder. Again, nothing happened.  
“She must have left the country.” She said surely as she went back to the cabinet to fetch her full world map. She set it on the table and adjusted her quartz weights on the corners. She repeated the location spell, and once again, nothing happened. She stood still for a second and pondered. Dead perhaps? She thought. Clients usually didn't want to pay when she told them who they were looking for had left the building. But then again, clients where usually unhappy with any answer she gave them, really. But she had to confirm. She went to the cabinet once more and grabbed a black map.  
“Realm of the dead” she read. The map was medium sized, with gold leaf letters as a title and it had nothing else on it. The dead realm was uncharted, this was just a formality to check if someone was alive. She repeated the spell one more time but the pawn still wouldn't move.  
Am I doing this wrong??? Where the fuck has this woman gone? Never in her life she had to look any further. Raven gave Eric Northman some credibility. She was nowhere on earth, and not dead.  
“She has to be somewhere!” She exclaimed. Raven paced past the kitchen and opened the door to the basement, and ran downstairs.  
The basement was quite large, it had many rooms like a cold pantry, a room for gardening supplies, a cellar, a boiler room, the safe, guns and ammo (she lived in the modern days after all), and magic storage room, for all the stuff she couldn't fit in study. This room and some of the others had magic lock on it. She opened it with a quick spell and stumbled in the dark room trying to find the light switch. She only hit her shin bone twice before finding it. The room was dusty and very crowded.  
“I need to make this room bigger” she thought out loud.  
Space bending spells were complicated, but nothing she hadn't done before. This whole house was much much bigger on the inside that it actually was on the outside. Ruffling through boxes and old luggage bags filled with magical crap, it took her sometime until she found what she was looking for: the little blue velvet pouch that contained the nine realm stones. She had these stones to make portals, but in a bind this will have to do. She left the basement and ran back to her study. She rolled her maps to the side and set the gemstones in a circle, with Sookie's pawn in the middle. Each gemstone represented a realm: the Living realm, the Dead, No Place, Purgatory, Eden, Edom, Green Meadow, Eternal springs and the Enchanted Kingdom. The living realm was of course, this one. The Dead realm, or Shadow world, was where most spirits went to afterlife, No Place was where Gods or demiGods lived, purgatory is a dark never ending forest where monsters are banished to. Eden and Edom are in a way, heaven and hell, but only angel and demons lived in there. Green Meadow is the realm of elves and dwarves, Eternal Springs is the realm of nymphs, and the Enchanted Kingdom was the real of faeries.  
“Let's see where is Sookie hiding.” She had already looked in two of the nine realms, but the odds that she would be in any of the other seven were like 8 million to one. If her father were here he would have a laughing fit that she would even be looking for a human in these places but here she was. She took a deep breath and repeated the words.  
“Haec ipsa dea noctis quaerere, hoc corpore saxum, locum tuum reve-”  
The gold opal cone stuck to the purple amethyst before she even finished the spell.  
Sookie Stackhouse was in the Enchanted Kingdom.

* * *

Eric landed on Raven Blackwood’s back deck 13 minutes past sundown, eager to see what fifty thousand dollars in a duffel bag bought him. Her sunroom french doors were wide open and she stood by her kitchen island in a different black satin strappy dress and a knitted long cardigan. She had long, beautifully pale legs. She looked so peaceful eating dinner alone. Eric’s mouth wanted her blood.  
“Evening” he said.  
She did a quick jolt, looking up at him. Eric secretly loved scaring humans. She then looked at a mysterious face.  
“You left some key details out.” she stated, not moving away from her plate.  
She went straight to business, then so would he.  
“Where is she Raven?”  
She smiled and walked towards the door, but stayed just far enough he couldn’t reach her. She just looked at him with her big blue eyes.  
“Where is she?” he repeated. He felt a pit in his throat. He was so close.  
“She is faerie Eric.”  
Eric guessed he should have seen this coming. Raven probably figured out from the hair he gave her. It was a calculated risk, having someone else know Sookie’s secret. Bill was going to be so pissed.  
“Raven where -”  
“Money first.” she demanded.  
He threw a duffle bag at her feet. The zipper was open, so she could see all the Benjamins in there.  
“Enchanted kingdom.” she reported unceremoniously.  
“Where… Is that?”  
“Faerie realm. It's another dimension.”  
He shook his head confused.  
“How do you... How do I get there?” She blinked twice before answering.  
“You can’t. No one can, but faeries.” she leaned against the open door. The moonlight shining right on her smooth perfect skin. “Specially a vampire. It’s like fort knox there for your kind.” Her answer did not satisfy him. It certainly didn’t feel like a good use of fifty thousand dollars. “Does she love you?”  
Why does she keep asking about love?  
“No.”  
“Does she have loved ones?”  
“Yes.”  
“Then she will come back Eric.” she added softly.  
“How do you know?” he walked towards the door as far as he could.  
“Wouldn’t you?”  
He didn’t know if he should answer. He would for Pam. He would for Godric. He guessed Sookie wouldn’t leave Jason. God knows he’s been at rock bottom, looking for her. He took a long disappointed sigh.  
“She will back eventually. Time works differently there, it’s much slower. If she’s been gone two months, for her it’s been like… five minutes.” Eric didn’t know what to do with this information. That means it could be centuries before she came back especially if she left because of what he told her about Bill.“Lucky for you, you have all eternity.”  
“Lucky me.” He couldn't hold back his lack of enthusiasm. He felt a rush of regret for doing that to Sookie. If what Raven told him was really true, by the time she came back, all her loved ones could be gone.“Invite me in.”  
She took a step closer, and brought her scent with her. She smelled familiar, like snow in the forest, and icy salt water. Like home.  
“Never.” She said simply. She was right there, so close but he couldn't touch her. She had perfect collar bones. A neck perfect for biting. He felt guilty for doing what he did to Sookie, and he hated feeling human feelings. It was truly beneath him. He wanted to fuck Raven until the sun came up and forget ever asking where Sookie was. He wanted to forget Sookie completely. He wanted to touch her. He needed to, but he couldn't.  
Not standing one more minute of this fucking torture, he flew away.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has read so far!
> 
> Most of story will be Raven's POV, but it will change once in a while to keep things interesting. I'm currently finishing Chapter 8, but have the rest of the story outlined. The probability of this story having more than "book" is high at this point. Although I'm a sucker for slow burn stories, Eric and Raven will get together in this book.
> 
> If you guys liked Eric in this chapter, oh boi there will plenty more of him in the next one ;)
> 
> Follow/Favourite and PLEASE REVIEW! Even if you don't like it, any feedback is good.
> 
> See u all next week
> 
> xoxo


	3. The Visitor

Raven looked out the window from her bubble bath. It was completely dark out there, but the house’s light shined a golden light on the fresh February snow that had piled on yard and the pine trees. It was Imbolc eve, the witch's new years eve. Her bath was heavy on salt, milk, honey, lavender and basil leaves for purification. The water was milky, soapy and warm, it was almost putting her to sleep on her high back iron clawfoot tub. The dim candle lights and the soothing crinkling of the radiator made her eyelids heavy. She had a tiring day, reading about obscure dwarf cults, and avoiding the incessant mail owls trying to give her letters from her father. Elijah wanted her over for the holiday feast, but she would rather pull one of her own teeth out than attending a bullshit dinner with all the high priests of the district. However it was a bit entertaining to see the level of heat increase each time a letter arrived. From "I am formally inviting you to dinner on this delightful holiday" to "For fucks sake Raven, are you still punishing me?" to "you're gonna regret dying alone". She had her usual holiday traditions and she was going to stick to them. No one was going to guilt into her not enjoying her quiet home. The house made a nice pot roast with gravy and Yorkshire pudding. Her belly was full, she relaxed and sleepy. Suddenly a loud knock on the window almost sent her soul out of her body. She jolted up, making big waves in the tub.  
A pair of small piercing blue eyes watched her through the window.  
“What the fuck?!” she whispered exasperated while opening the window. The cold air rushed in, making her sink in the warm water even more. “Eric. What do I owe the pleasure?” she added sarcastically.  
“Oh the pleasure is all mine,” he marveled, enjoying the fact that she was naked.  
“You’re gonna make my bath run cold. What do you want?” she barked.  
“You,” her heart fluttered. “to invite me in.”  
“We are still on that, huh.”  
“I could be on you.”  
“Bye Eric.” she reached to the window.  
“Tell me something,” he started and her arm stopped. “why do you live in this huge house by yourself?”  
She brought her arm back in the water, looking away.  
“Did your friend come back yet?” she asked, avoiding the topic.  
“No. Answer the question. The inside may not match the outside but I can see there are other bedrooms in this house. Where is everyon-”  
“Dead.” she stated coldly. The heavy word echoed in the bathroom. Satan, he was worse than her father. “What do you want?”  
He straightened up. He was floating mid air, hands on the window sill. Flurries were collecting on his dirty blonde hair and black leather jacket.  
“You. Naked.” he had a deep whispery voice. She hated that she liked it.  
Annoyed, she got up. She stood in the tub, water dripping from her body and taking the full Vermont February breeze like a cold kiss. His eyes widened, a devilish smile appeared on his face. He looked at all of her perversely hungry. She closed the window and then shut the curtains. This man was going to be the death of her.

* * *

Raven had fallen asleep on the couch, watching Rear Window for the tenth time or so. She spent a great deal of her time watching movies, having quite a collection herself. However she didn’t care much for movies of this century so far, so she usually stuck with old classics. Murder mysteries were her favourite. She was curled with a blanket with Lucifer, and it was really late at night. She was dreaming of dark woods, she was lost in a deep fog. Thick ancient pine trees so tall she couldn’t see the sky. Roots weaving the earth so she had to take care of where she stepped. The soil was cold and damp beneath her bare feet. She had this dream often. She woke up with a jump, with the insidious feeling she was being watched. She saw something move by the windows and when she opened the curtains she almost screamed. A tall figure, dressed in black was standing in her porch, looking down at her through the sheer curtains. Angry, face flushed, heartbeat ringing in her ears, she opened the window.  
“What is wrong with you?!”  
“Shhh that’s a good part in the movie.” Eric Northmam said, sitting down on the window sill. He seemed to be actually watching the movie for a minute. Raven wanted to shoo him, but really liked looking at his face. He had a pointed but strong jaw line, his skin was smooth and pale. He must have been around 30 when he died. His cheekbones sat high on his face. She wondered where he was from.  
“Eric why are you here?” she whispered.  
He just looked at her, with his icy blue eyes, and his charming smile.  
“I take it you’re not going to invite me in?” he asked.  
“You’d be correct.”  
“Why are you so damn stubborn?”  
“Why are you such a stalker?”  
“That would imply you leave the house. Can’t quite stalk someone who never leaves.”  
Raven scoffed, speechless. How fucking rude. She was unsure of how to react, so she just looked away at the TV screen. They both watched the movie for sometime, her sitting on the couch, Eric sitting on the window. She thought it was a tad awkward.  
“What’s up with the pentagram tattoo?” he asked out of the blue. She now remembered that he had seen her naked last time. She didn’t mind it though, it was just flesh. Witches weren’t quite prude as mortals. In fact, they had a fame to be quite lustful, and it had been a while that Raven had lived up to it.  
“What is it with the interrogation every time you visit? You like playing twenty questions or something?” he still had an inquisitive look on his face. It’s like he genuinely wanted to know. She decided to answer. “It’s to stop demonic or ghost possession from happening.”  
“Should I be getting one?”  
“No, they only take the bodies of the living. ” she explained.  
“Fascinating.” he whispered. “Now you ask something.”  
Raven wasn’t sure what to ask first, there was a lot she wanted to know.  
“Okay… Why are you here?”  
“That's a stupid question, I have a better one: why did you think I was a stripper when we first met?”  
“I was drunk and it was my birthday, I have a friend would send me something like that… Why am I even telling you this? You didn't answer my question!”  
“Where are you from?”  
Raven was getting annoyed.  
“I was born in England but lived here most of my life. What do you want from me?”  
"You don't have an accent, how old were you when you came here?”  
She shook her head. This didn't seem to be a two player game.  
“Fifty six.”  
He raised his eyebrows, interested.  
“How old are you now?”  
“Four hundred and fifty four.”  
He paused for a second, staring at her.  
“Are witches immortal?”  
“No, we just age slowly.”  
“What happens if I drink your blood?”  
“Nothing, it's just blood." she lied, her heart skipping a beat.  
“What else can your magic do?”  
“Lots of things.”  
“Can you turn into a cat?”  
“No, witches can't shape shift.”  
“Do you fly on a broomstick?”  
“What? No, that sounds very uncomfortable.”  
He looked proudly amused by this stupid little game. His presence made her jittery. She wondered if he could notice how nervous he made her. Mabel always told Raven that vampires could pick up the slightest details, so he probably knew.  
“Have you met vampires before?”  
“Yes, and they weren't this annoying.”  
“Did they bite you?”  
“No.”  
“So you never belonged to any vampire before?”  
“Fuck no! I rather drink poison than being owned.”  
“Ever had sex with a vampire?”  
“Mortals and werewolves only. A fae once.” she added.  
“Don't witches have to be part of a coven?”  
She inhaled deeply. Did Elijah send him or something? She thought.  
“Yes Eric, we do.” she exhaled.  
“So you're a rebel?”  
“Sure,” she was getting tired of this game. “if I give you your damn money back will you stop coming?”  
He gave a very seductive smile. He knew she was breaking.  
“Do you ever think of me?”  
“No.” she lied again.  
“Oh, that was a lie.” he leaned closer, he bit his lip gently. “When do you think of me?”  
“You are out of questions.” she kicked her blanket off of her, startling Lucifer. She felt the room to be incredibly hot, her face was definitely blushing. She picked the pig up as she stood and walked towards the stairs. “Good night, close the window before you go.” she barked, without looking at him.  
“Sweet dreams Raven. I hope I’m in them.” he shouted.

* * *

Raven floated on the lake on a hot summer night. She had just finished her youth spell ritual and now she just enjoyed the full moon in the refreshing July water. Moonlight and water were essential for the spell to work. She only had to do this ritual about once a year, so she chose the summer time. And the best way to do it was definitely skinny dipping. She loved being in water. Tonight was also the last full moon before the blood moon. Her father sent her a very long letter explaining the consequences of anyone (aka her) not joining a coven: that any full witch failing to comply would be taken the witch ministry, and would probably lose their powers. Similar laws were also passed in other districts and most countries. Something in the back of her mind still thought he had secret reasons for this. Elijah was going to too great lengths to make everyone follow this law. Alas, she was left with no choice but to join a new coven next full moon. However, no matter what no one would ever replace her coven. They were her mother, her sisters. Agatha. Harriet. Catherine. Violet. Mabel. She missed them so much.  
“Is the water cold?” asked a deep voice from the pier, 15 feet away. She sighed. She knew who it was before she even looked.  
“For fuck sakes, why do you keep coming back?!” she yelled sinking her body and floating up straight.  
“Cause I’m bored and you are interesting.” said Eric Northman, taking his jacket off. He had muscular arms, and wide shoulders. Then he kicked off his shoes.  
“What are you doing?” she asked.  
He took off his shirt and nodded to the water. Moonlight looked good on his body, it really highlighted the sex lines on his lower abs. His torso was a perfect triangle. She briefly imagined laying her head on his chest. Those arms around her. Her fingers running down his stomach.  
“I swear to God if you get any closer..” she trailed off in a half threatening voice.  
“Oh, that’s exactly what I plan to see.” he insisted as he took off his pants and boxers. He was definitely a shower.  
She sunk down in the dark water. She heard the deep splash of him jumping in. She could not let him near. Her heart panicked just at the thought of him touching her skin. He is a vampire, he is dangerous, she told herself. This would be much easier if he didn’t look like the way he did. So goddamn fuckable. She thought of a teleportation spell. It made her even more nervous, as they were tricky to get right. Land through an object, and you're dead or missing a limb. Here goes nothing. She aimed to stand where Eric was just seconds ago. Nunc Adsum, Ego autem non sum. She opened her eyes and she was on top of the pier. Thank Satan that worked, she thought. Raven looked around and Eric was nowhere to be seen, just the moonlight dancing on the ripples on the water. Relieved, she grabbed her towel, wrapped herself and she tiptoed back to the house. She hurried up the deck stairs and she felt a woosh of air past her. Naked and dripping wet, Eric stood in front of her blocking the sunroom door. Damn vamp speed. His body was the very definition of sex. Good God she wanted to take his body to bed.  
“You can’t come here every time you miss her Eric.” she said, looking up to his big eyes.  
Eric froze. He just stood there, lean and muscular. His brows slightly frowned. That’s it, she thought. She hit the nerve. She walked past him, and into the sunroom. Once she turned around to look at him again, he was gone.

* * *

There were no more visits from Eric Northman since the summer. She did think of him sometimes. The very attractive and very annoying vampire. Whenever she heard a noise in the middle of the night, she would open the curtains to see if was out there, but he never was.  
But today all she saw when she opened the windows was the red blood moon shining bright above the trees. It was now early fall. She was pretty nervous. Tonight she was going to join a new coven. Her father left her with no choice. Elijah was a Bishop and would not allow his own daughter be exempt from his own law. Politics, and all. And in classic Elijah Blackwood fashion, he put his career ahead of his own family and daughter. However Raven was absolutely positive he was hiding something. This decree was only half the truth. Her theory was that this decree had to be a hail mary to get witches breeding with witches again, to strengthen the new generation. Regardless, she didn't think she could resent him more, but he pushed that boundary. She didn't want a new coven, but she also didn't want to be a mortal. She would age, she would have to be… normal. She always took great pride in her powers. She spent the better part of the past two centuries alone studying magic and spellcraft. She did choose to become an enchantress after all. But she was going to stick it to her father one way or another: she would join a coven where no one had “status” or known in the witch community. She would join one made entirely of halflings. Hopefully somewhere nice like Hawaii, or California. She could use a tan.  
She took a bath, then got dressed. She brushed her hair, and applied some make up. Raven was incredibly nervous to meet her possible new coven. What if they say no? She asked herself again. Killing halflings who would turn her away was most definitely not something she was willing to do. She had killed people before, but she had justifiable reasons. This was not one of them. She laid a circle of candles on her bedroom floor and stepped in. She looked at the clock and it was one minute to midnight- witching hour was about to begin. She laid down and took a deep breath. She didn't like to astral project. The trip was always unpleasant.  
“Astral me intrare, regni abeam qui vocas” she chanted quietly, closing her eyes.  
As she repeated the spell over and over again she questioned if there was anyone even out there looking for her.  
Suddenly she felt a pull on her chest, and then she was falling into a dark cold abyss. She felt fear deep in her stomach. Someone was summoning her. Who? She squeezed her eyes shut - the living aren't supposed to look inside this realm. She fell, and fell, her body weightless. Suddenly, it stopped. She was standing again and she could hear gasps and whispers. She opened her eyes.  
She was standing in a room surrounded by a dozen people seated on the floor, holding hands. They had shocked expressions on their faces, mouths open. They murmured curse words, some smiled in disbelief and adjusted themselves on their floor pillows.  
“Don't let your hands go!” She warned. “I can only stay if you keep your circle intact.”  
She examined those faces. They were mostly adult women, but there were some men too.  
“The goddess heard our prayers!” A raspy nasally voice belted behind her. She turned around to see an elderly lady, with brown shaggy hair and big brown eyes. “Goddess bless us all!”  
Raven didn't quite know what to say. This was a very large room, with shelves and tables against the walls, filled with books, stones and other crap. It was dim and candle lit only, and they were surrounded by small Persian rugs and red tea cup lights. There was a set of double doors that lead to an even more crowded room. This didn't look like anyone's house. It looked like a store? There was a large wooden sign in the back of the room that read Moon Goddess Empire. Surely they wouldn’t be so stupid to do this in a commercial establishment, outside of the Invitatio spell.  
“Who are you spirit?” asked the elderly woman.  
“Spirit?” She asked back. “Oh, I'm alive. I'm just astral projecting. You summoned me?”  
More gasps went around the room.  
“Yes, we summoned you to guide us-”  
“Yes! Did the dead relay the decree’s message? To which one of you?” She asked the group. No one replied, they just shot each other confused looks. They didn't seem to know what she was talking about. Raven grew concerned. “Wait, why did you summon me?”  
“To guide us through a resurrection.” The elderly woman smirked with a devilish smile. Everyone looked at her.  
Oh fuck Raven thought. Oh this is bad. Necromancy is all kinds of no.  
“Wait what?” A woman protested.  
“Jesus Marnie..”  
“Hell naw, now you lost me.” A handsome black man said.  
“We briefly brought my dear familiar back to life last night, and tonight we will bring a person back.”  
She blinked in disbelief, eyebrows raised. She wanted to do what?! Necromancy was explicitly forbidden in most covens that abided by the Witch Rule Book. What kind of coven was this??  
“Mmm, how do I put this in a modern woman's terms?” Raven paused. “We don't fuck with that shit”.  
“I can do it! I know I can!” She exclaimed. “All I need for you to show me how.” She pleaded.  
She quickly scanned the room and saw there were no dead bodies. She was confused but slightly relieved.  
“Who are even going to bring back? Where's the body?” Raven asked, not sure why she was even entertaining this dumb idea.  
The double doors burst open and she only had a glimpse of an incredibly bloodthirsty Eric Northman walking in. No way.  
“Excuse me. Y'all looking for a dead body?” He smirked.  
But as soon as Eric and Raven made eye contact, his fanged came out. It caused a panic in the room and suddenly she was falling through the dark abyss once again. She woke back again in her quiet bedroom floor. The coven had broken the circle in fear, sending her spirit right back.  
Her heart was racing so hard she could hear it ringing in her ears. Little Lucifer came rushing to her bedroom. She could hardly process what she had just seen. This insane coven had gathered in the back of a store, and being crashed by not only a vampire, but by Eric fucking Northman.  
“I have to help them!” She told Lucifer. They were clearly halflings, gathering outside the protection of a house, thinking she was a spirit, being discovered by a vampire while they attempted necromancy, they clearly didn't know what the fuck they were doing. No one in their right mind would be so careless! This Marnie lady was going to get them all killed.  
She rushed to her bedside table and got her cellphone out of the drawer. She didn't use it much, so it was out of power.  
“Fuck!” She screamed to nobody, angry. She fumbled through the mess that was her nightstand looking for the charger. She plugged her cellphone in, it lit up. She ran downstairs, Lucifer running after her at her heels.  
She had to find out where this coven was real quick. They weren't her coven yet, and granted they were out of their goddamn minds for trying this kind of magic but she didn't want to lose them by Eric's hand. She didn't know why but she didn't want to hate him.  
She ran into the basement and grabbed an empty vintage luggage, and her blue velvet realm stone pouch. She threw them in the living room and continued running upstairs, adrenaline kicking strong. She was going to portal to their location, but she had to bring the house with. She couldn't leave it behind. This black house it was all she had. Her cell phone was on 3% charge but it was enough to look up where Moon Goddess Empire store was.  
Shreveport, Louisiana.  
“That's it!” She exclaimed. Louisiana was also where Eric Northman was looking for Sookie Stackhouse. She got the address and ran downstairs, Lucifer following her in excitement. He never saw her so agitated. She told Lucifer to stay put in the living room.  
She grabbed her luggage and the blue stone out of the pouch and ran outside. She had to pack the house first.  
She laid the bag open on the bottom of the front steps and ran 20 feet away.  
“A parva ad magna, a summo usque ad, non capio totum” she closed her eyes, the house burst in the ball of light.  
She heard wood cracking and creaking. She prayed she didn't break her house in half with poor Lucifer inside. The light decimated and suddenly she was alone in a quiet clearing, in the dark. Red blood moon shining across the lake. All there was left was a white round luggage on the ground where she had left it. No house. No garden, car or shed. She felt a pit in her throat. She had lived here for almost 200 years.  
“No time to get emotional” she told herself.  
Raven walked to her bag and pulled the blue velvet pouch out of her pocket and found the blue one.  
“Ego autem dean eget porta,” she paused and as she threw the stone forward she finished “Moon Goddess Empire, Shreveport, Louisiana.”  
A portal appeared, she grabbed her bag and ran through.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note:
> 
> Thanks again for everyone who reviewed/gave kudos the story so far! It makes my heart full!!  
> As promised, lots of Eric in this chapter ;) A lot happened this chapter, the pace definitely picked up and I am so excited to post the next one already! Chapter 4 and 5 were so fun to write ! I'm currently mid writing chapter 10, I think there will be 4 more so I don't have rush myself.  
> ALSO! I am looking for a beta reader to help me edit the remaining of the story. It's getting a bit overwhelming to edit. Any volunteers, please slide in my PMs. The story will be under 60k words.  
> Anyway, KUDO/REVIEW if you liked it. Ask any questions if you have any!  
> See you all next week, love u


	4. The Coven

When she stepped into the room, Raven knew something terrible had happened. Everyone was still in shock, and looked even more scared when she ran through the portal, which closed right after her. Marnie was on the floor, blood on her shirt. A man was giving her first aid.   
“What happened?” Raven demanded, looking for Marnie.  
Everyone stood still.   
“I don’t know,” she said, aloof. “Are you really here? Was that...”  
“A portal. What happened?” She asked again. All eyes were still on her, scared.  
“The vampire told us to never meet again, then attacked Marnie and was about to attack Tara!” A blond woman with curly hair ranted. “Then we used the same summoning spell to call you back, and Marnie cast a spell that made everything go dark and cold, then he left.”  
“That wasn’t me,” replied Raven. “I was on my way here via portal.”  
“Bitch, who the fuck are you?” Asked the black woman. “And if that wasn’t you saving our ass, who the fuck was?”  
“Raven Blackwood, a witch,” she answered shyly. “And I don’t know. A spirit I think.”  
“You’re a witch?” Asked Marnie, still on the floor. “What kind of witch?”  
Raven didn’t really understand the question. A good witch? A bad one? A powerful one? She extended both her palms ahead and said a simple fire spell. Her palms suddenly held balls of fire, burning tall. When the whole group gasped and stepped back, she closed her palms, killing the flames.   
“What did Eric do?” She asked.   
“I hate that mother fucker,” a handsome man helping Marnie bellowed, rage in his blue eyes. “He once kidnapped and tortured Lafayette for three days.”  
“Two hours. Two hours I’m back in this town to visit Sookie and we summon spirits, I get attacked by a fucking fanger and a witch walks through a damn portal,” the black woman ranted.  
Sookie Stackhouse was back from the Enchanted Kingdom.   
“Bitch that wasn’t just any fanger. This is Eric fucking Northman who is fucking ancient and stupid powerful and can kill all o’ us. And now he probably will!” shouted the black man.  
“No, he won’t,” said Raven.  
“Oh yeah, why not?” He barked.  
“Because I’m here, I will protect you.” Everyone went quiet.   
“Bitch is yous listening?” He yelled. “He’s a thousand years old! He almost killed Marnie!”  
She suddenly had a lump in her throat. Raven had never fought a vampire before.   
“Eric said no more coven meetings…” a woman whined. “He knew everything. He knew about what we did to Marnie’s parrot, he knew her name…”  
“No!” Shouted Marnie, getting up. “He came here uninvited and demanded that we stop gathering, stop practicing our religion! How dare he? He has no right.”  
“Last time I checked, there was still freedom of religion in America!” Sneered a bearded man.   
Now this pissed Raven off. Who the fuck was Eric to decide if this coven was going to meet or not? And how the fuck did he know so much? How did he know they semi revived a bird the night prior?  
“Alright. I will fix this,” Raven declared. They didn’t look very hopeful. Did they not just see her walk through a fucking portal? That she made fire with her own hands? Did nothing impress humans anymore? “I will lead this coven. I will teach you. I will teach you proper magic, how to protect yourselves, and I will deal with Eric.”  
“Yous gonna get yo’self killed, hooker,” said the black man with his thick southern accent. He was truly scared of Eric. She wondered if she should be too.  
“Are you in or not?” She asked the group. “If you are not, go home. If you are, we are doing this my way. Either way, Eric will be dealt with.”  
The black woman was the first one to walk out the door. The black man took some steps towards the door, but the man with the pretty blue eyes caught his hand. Some other people walked out too.  
“Alright. First rule is that there will be no unsupervised magic-”  
“What!?” Interrupted Marnie “I run Moon Goddess, I have clients! I have run this coven for years-”  
“And look where you are,” Raven retorted. r.   
“We don’t need you! The spirits come when I call them. I sent the vampire away without you! I have power too!” She whined.  
The balls on this medium.   
“I am four hundred and fifty four years old. I can open portals, I can track people throughout all nine realms, I can astral project, create strong potions, hexes and curses. I have been enchanting and conjuring since before your grandmother was fucking breathing,” Raven thundered.  
“Marnie I don’t think we are in a position to bargain here, if she wants to help let her!” The man with the blue eyes insisted.  
“No more summoning spirits,” Raven repeated, attention still on Marnie. “No chants, incantations, seances, potions, hexes - not until I teach you properly. Absolutely no more necromancy. Ever again,” she affirmed. “And no more meeting here either.” Raven saw Marnie’s face twist into a big frown. “Your cover was blown, and it’s too dangerous to meet outside someone’s house. Those are my terms.”   
The people nodded. There was a darkness in Marnie’s eyes. She was going to be a problem, Raven thought. She remembered the alligator in her tea cup. Her father, Eric, Marnie. Alligators were stacking up. She was in a fucking swamp.  
“Now, Marnie, what did you do to make Eric leave?” Raven asked.  
“I have no idea,” She answered.   
Raven sighed.   
“So tell me everything you all know about Eric Northman.”

* * *

Lafayette pulled up to a little house in the middle of the woods in Bon Temps. His boyfriend Jesus and his cousin Tara were also in the car. Raven watched the trio curiously from the backseat. She forgot how loud people could be. They constantly talked.  
“I gots the sweetest pork belly leftovers that Imma fix for y’all” Lafayette said as he entered the house.  
Raven studied the living room. The walls were purple and each different piece of furniture was different. Red armchair, cheetah print couch, glass coffee table, black armoire. There were a lot of candles, and on the mantel, small statues of different people she didn’t recognize. Jesus noticed her admiring the little shrine.  
“This is Santa Muerte,” he said, picking up a statue of a woman with a skull for a face, wearing a gown and veil. “You pray to her for healing, protection, and guidance in the afterlife.”  
“Fascinating,” she muttered.   
“I grew up with magic too.” Jesus added. “Although I don’t speak with my abuelo much anymore. He’s the one who taught me when I was little. Now Marnie teaches me. I wonder what I can learn from you.”  
Curious, she reached out and touched his arm. Instead of his face, Raven saw a blue faced demon, with large ears and small tusks protuding from his nose. Startled, she let go. Jesus took a step back.  
“I’m sorry!” She exclaimed. “I’ve never actually met someone with ancient night magic-"  
His face darkened.  
"What happened in those dark woods?" He asked.   
Raven froze. She had seen his heart, but he had seen hers too.   
“What did she teach you?” She changed the subject. Jesus seemed happy to play along.  
“Tarot reading, palm and tea leaf readings, summoning-like seances. About energy, and spirits.”  
“And bringing dead Polly the parrot back?” Asked Tara, holding plates. She motioned them to sit at the table outside.  
Necromancy required large amounts of magic. Either many members of this coven had magic in them, or some of them were very powerful. The spell didn't stick because they probably didn't do it properly, but it was astounding they got so far. Raven’s preconceived notion that these were people with just a touch of magic was completely wrong.   
“So, what kind of magic can’t you do?” asked Jesus.  
“Not can’t , won’t . Necromancy for one,” Raven answered, helping set up. “Torturing magic. Killing.”  
“You haven't killed anyone? What good are you to handle Eric then?” Tara asked.  
“I’ve killed people. Just not with death spells. Torture and killing with spells will curse your mind. And necromancy...will curse your soul,” Raven explained as she sat down.  
“Hoes das enough curse talk for this evenin’. Les eat.” said Lafayette, holding two trays of food.  
Raven just about inhaled her meal, trying not to think too much of her familiar. It was so freaking good. Raven enchanted the house to cook, and it cooked well but not like this. Meat so tender she didn't even have to chew it. Spices that were sweet, bitter and spicy. Vegetables that added a crunch. A little circle of toasted milled corn held it all together. They called it a taco. Phenomenal.   
“So bitch, where you from?” Asked Lafayette.  
“Uhm…I’m from London, England. Moved to Boston in 1702. Moved around the east coast a bunch, ended up in Vermont about one hundred years ago… and now I’m here.”  
“You fuckin with me,” Lafayette said, eyes squinting. “List all the American presidents then.”  
“Washington, John Adams, who was a dick by the way, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Quincy Adams, Jackson, then Martin Van Buren, Harrison, Tyler-”  
“Alright alright, I believe you, damn. Now what’s the skincare secret hooker? Because I woulda thought an old ass witch like you would look busted as fuck.”  
“Witches do age slower, but I slow it down further with youth spells. I will eventually look…older.”  
"Oh I definitely want to learn that." Lafayette laughed, sipping his tequila.   
"You ever killed a vampire?" Asked Tara. She seemed hostile towards supernatural creatures. Something told Raven that it wasn't their first rodeo with vampires.  
"No, but I can talk to Eric. We've met before." The table went silent. That was for sure the wrong thing to say. "He came to me months ago, for a job." And then many times after that, to annoy me, she thought, biting back a smile.  
"What job?" Asked Tara.  
"That is confidential," Raven answered taking a big gulp of wine. “But it’s fine. I will go to Fangtasia tomorrow, and I’ll sort it out.”  
They all looked at each other with wide eyes.  
“I think this is a suicide mission, but hey, I ain’t stopping ya,” Tara shrugged.

* * *

Raven woke up the next morning, all kinds of sore from the cheap motel mattress. It was lumpy and way too soft. She missed her bed and her house. Her luggage sat lonely on the floor by the bathroom. She wasn't spending one more night in this bed-bug-ridden nook. She would set her house, then go to Fangtasia. Raven cracked open her luggage and stuck her arm in. If she was going to put her house down somewhere, she needed to buy a lot. This way, vampires could not enter the house. But first, she needed money. As she stuck her arm in the luggage she could feel Lucifer’s whiskers grazing her hand. Poor thing, stuffed in there. She summoned one of the many duffel bags of cash she took from the vault, and pulled it out of her luggage.  
Raven walked down the main Avenue of Shreveport, headed to a real estate agency. She met with a bearded man, wearing the finest hillbilly couture, complete with a bolo tie and an oversized tweed blazer. He had a receding hairline, thick moustache and a big round belly. She explained she was looking for a secluded vacant lot, waterfront, all cash. And in proper sexist fashion, he asked to check in with her husband. She told him there was no husband. His lip stiffened at first, almost disappearing under his moustache.  
“This is Renald parish, ma'am. Watch for ‘gators,” he warned, going through a stack of folders.  
“Alligators won’t be a problem,” she insisted. Raven didn’t take tea leaves to be so literal.  
He took her outside of town, where she could see signs for Bon Temps. They took a right down a dirt road. Louisiana was kinda dusty, and much warmer than Vermont. The trees were old and bushes overgrown...like it was forgotten, she thought. Raven felt uneasy sitting in the realtor’s old Camry, with her house in her lap. Her black house would stick out like a black thumb here. The trees grew thicker as they went further down this bumpy dirt road.   
“This is where the 12 acre plot starts. There are only 2 other houses on this lake. But no one comes out here much,” he explained.  
Perfect. They arrived at a clearing, and Raven was surprised to see that it was actually kinda beautiful. The clearing had tall green and gold grass, and the lake was an emerald green. There were tall trees still growing in the water. On the land, the clearing was surrounded by ancient oak trees covered in hanging Spanish moss. She couldn't see any other houses.   
“I'll take it,” Raven said as they got out of the car.  
The realtor blinked, suspicious. His lips disappeared under his moustache again. Raven tossed the duffel bag to him. His eyes grew wide and he quickly plopped his briefcase on the hood of the car and looked through some papers.   
“I just need some ID...”  
Raven pulled out her wallet. She had to sneakily browse through her many fake IDs, to find the right one. This property had to be under her real name.  
“You look a lil’ young to be 35, miss,” he said with his thick southern drawl.  
“Sunscreen,” she replied. She needed a new ID with a new birthdate STAT.  
The realtor looked inside the duffel bag and signed. He offered her a ride back go town but Raven refused. He cocked an eyebrow but drove away without any more questions.   
Raven waited until the realtor was gone. She was still shocked that she was here. Louisiana of all places. With a new coven of halflings, and about to negotiate diplomatic peace with the local vampire Sheriff. She still wondered how Eric knew all about this coven. Perhaps there was a traitor among them. Someone ratted them out. He certainly was charming enough. Putting the thought on hold she opened her luggage and reversed her shrinking spell. She turned away to avoid the bright light, and once it dimmed, her house was there. Car, garden, chicken coops and all. It looked very out of place - a two-storey black Victorian home with the big willow trees of sunny Louisiana surrounding it. She went inside, and Lucifer was hiding under the couch. Poor thing must have been scared out of his wits.  
She picked him up and soothed him as she walked through the house, admiring the new views of her home. When she entered the kitchen, food was already waiting for her. She was starving. Lucifer squirmed out of her arms and ran to a big bowl of apples on the floor. He was a loud chewer.   
Now that her house was settled it was time to get this Eric Northman business taken care of. Post-dinner she would have to take a strength potion, just in case shit went sideways at Fangtasia. Maybe a vampire repellent potion too, just to be safe. And of course, cast the new protection wards on the house. Lucifer finished his dinner in under two minutes, as per usual, and left the kitchen. His little hooves echoing through the empty house. Not for much longer though. Soon it would be filled with strangers, her new coven. She thought of Lafayette, and Jesus, Marnie, Holly, maybe Tara and the others, walking through the house. It made her nervous, but her skin didn't crawl.   
“At least they don't have to live here,” she thought out loud. Modern covens didn't live together anymore, as everyone basically mainstreamed into society. She went upstairs quietly and opened the door to Violet's old bedroom. She never touched it. The bed was unmade, her closet was open, and it displayed all of her clothes. Her makeup and perfume were still on her vanity. Her scent brought memories back.

* * *

“Eat your porridge, Raven,” ordered Agatha, while folding laundry in the kitchen. She had a stern face, with a strong jawline, but Raven knew she was as soft as a feather pillow on the inside. Her grey hair was tied in a low bun, but it was wild, and curly around her face.   
It was a cold January day, and Raven kept tossing her breakfast around the bowl. The witch debutante ball was coming up, and Raven was nervous about it. Her dress was not turning out to be what she envisioned, she wasn’t sure how well she did on her witch exams, nor what witchcraft specialty she was going to master. She liked too many of them.   
“Are you sure I can only take one?” She sighed.  
“Yes.” Agatha answered. “How about botany? No one in the coven does that.”  
Raven wrinkled her nose in disapproval. Botany was lame.   
“But how did you know you liked conjuring?” Asked Raven.  
Agatha took a while to answer, she was focused on the enormous pile of clothes and bedding that she took off the radiator rack. Agatha regularly did the laundry for an Inn in town, and some wealthy families in the county. Money was tight and they had 6 mouths to feed, so everyone had to pull their weight. Raven was doing a seamstress apprenticeship at a tailor shop and hopefully would start earning some coins this summer. She also took turns with Agatha selling their goat’s milk in the market.   
“I don’t like conjuring. It was a necessity at the time,” she answered. Raven was surprised.  
“What do you mean, you don’t like conjuring demons and spirits?”  
“Are you crazy? Have you met a demon, Raven?” Exclaimed Violet, entering the kitchen. She took an apple from the counter. “They are the worst.”  
“How did you choose your master specialty, Violet?”  
Violet shrugged, then bit into her apple.   
“Enchantments are the most useful -”  
“Violet!” Exclaimed Agatha.  
“What? It’s true!”  
“Oh shush, come help me with the folding. You’re not suppose to influence her, you know,” she scolded.  
Violet rolled her eyes, but helped anyway. Violet had the most beautiful long brown hair, that was always perfectly curled at the ends. Raven suspected Violet enchanted her hair to be like that. She enchanted absolutely everything. She didn’t wash a single dish if she didn’t have to. Agatha disapproved of it. She always insisted that hard labour was good for the soul. Looking at the shine on Violet’s hair, Raven was leaning towards Violet’s side in this argument.  
“Any luck with the dress?” Catherine popped into the kitchen.  
“No, I’m still working on it at the shop,” scoffed Raven.  
“Speaking of the shop, did you give the ugly loaf to the owner yet? What's his name again?"  
That was another item on her worry list, one she completely forgot about. Damien Williams, a newly graduated lawyer from a very wealthy family who owned a lot of businesses in town, including the seamstress shop, had a certain infatuation with Raven. Agatha forbid any meaningful relationship with mortals, but the occasional itch scratching was allowed. And Raven did want Damian to scratch that itch, he was a handsome redhead, but because he and his family were so affluent in town, it was best not to. Their standard plan of action for anyone trying to seriously court them, was to gift them what they nicknamed an ugly loaf. It was a sweet bread loaf laced with an anti-attraction potion. Such potions had a drop of blood in them Raven's for this particular one. Whoever ate it would find Raven instantly ugly. It was a fool-proof plan.  
"Damien? Oh, no I didn't yet. He wasn't in the last time I went in the shop but I'll try again tonight," Raven explained. “Hey, how did you choose your specialty?”  
“Oh I always knew. Potions, definitely potions.”  
“Catherine you are no help at all!” Cried Raven, officially giving up on her breakfast. How was she supposed to choose? Raven was only 200 years old, she had barely lived enough to know what she was going to spend the next 200 years studying. Catherine shrugged and left the kitchen.  
“Don’t worry about it Raven,” said Violet. “You still have two months to choose.”  
It was no use asking Mabel or Harriet, because they were born with legacies. Mabel was from a long lineage of healers, and Harriet was born a medium.   
“Is Mabel coming for dinner?” Asked Agatha.   
“Probably not,” chuckled Violet. “She’s still out with the latest vampire candy she found.”  
Agatha shot her a disapproving look and shook her head.  
“I’ll never understand, with all the fine gentlemen around, Mabel insists on dating vampires. Is it a healing thing? Like a vampire blood healing thing?”  
“It’s more of a…vampire dick thing. More...physical,” Violet stated.  
Agatha gasped, eyes wide. Violet skipped away before Agatha could hit her with the towel she was folding. Raven and Violet laughed and Agatha frowned, but the corner of her lips showed the faintest little smile.   
“Vampires are nothing but trouble,” she said. “You stay away from them, Raven.”  
“Yes ma’am,” Raven sighed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for everyone who have reviewed/kudo'd this story so far! It makes me so happy when people like my shit lol
> 
> This chapter has a lot of important info for the following chapters, specially for the next one which is INSANELY good. I'm so excited for you guys to read it!
> 
> Don't forget to give me some loving, and review/kudo and see you next week!


	5. The King

Raven pulled up in an empty parking lot, just one hour before sundown. Fangtasia was a dingy bar right beside a strip mall. What a hellhole, she thought. It was too early for vampires to be awake, but she went up and knocked anyway. Much to her surprise, the door opened.

"Oh, you ain't the delivery guy," said a petite, skin-and-bone blonde. It was difficult to figure out how old she was, she had a few plastic surgeries. "We ain't open yet, hun."

"I'm here on business. May I enter?" Raven asked, already pushing the door open.

The bar was tacky as hell. Walls were either painted red, black or covered in thick red velvet curtains. There were stripper poles by the stage, where a single antique chair sat. She was pretty sure she had the same chair at her house, but this one was much dirtier. If only Mabel, one of her coven sisters, could see her now. She was obsessed with vampires. The original "fangbanger" per say. Raven always made fun of Mabel for it, but now she realized that maybe she was onto something.

"I have to speak to Eri-" she couldn't even finish his name and suddenly there was a cold hand on her neck, that quickly retracted. The repellent potion had worked.

"You fucking bitch!" Screamed a tall blonde, staring at her sizzling hand. She had big blue eyes, and big blonde hair to match. She wore a one armed, skin-tight, red glitter catsuit and heels. Her fangs were long and out. "What are you? Why do you want to see Eric?" She barked.

"I'm a witch," Raven answered. "And I am here to discuss a local coven. It seems he has an issue with it. I'm sure we can find some middle ground here, since we...have worked well together before."

The tall vampire gave her a once-over.

"Well fuck me. You're that goth chick from Vermont." She raised an eyebrow. "The fuck you doing here?"

"I've joined said coven…in Shreveport." It sounded absolutely pathetic when she spoke it out loud.

Pam suddenly grabbed a metal bar stool with both hands, swung it hard and hit Raven in the ribs with brutal force. Raven slid across the dirty nightclub floor, knocking over three other chairs and a table. The blonde woman who answered the door shrieked and hid behind the bar.

"You did this to him, you cunt!" The vampire screamed, lunging at her.

"Obstupefacio!" Raven murmured, still dizzy. The vampire froze.

Raven's ribs screamed in pain as she tried to draw air back into her lungs. Her head was still spinning but she slowly got up, snapping her left shoulder back in place. She forgot how much fighting hurt. Taking those potions before coming was a damn good call.

"Whatever it is that happened to him, I didn't do it. But I am the only one who can undo it. Harm me, and whatever it is that happened will never be undone." The blonde vampire's face was frozen in anger. Fangs out. Claws out. Whoever this was, she was very close to Eric. "The witches back in my coven are only halflings. They don't know what the fuck they're doing. I don't know what Eric has against my coven, but I'm your only option."

She could see the glimmer in the woman's eyes change. Raven waited until she caught her breath again before unfreezing her.

"Eric doesn't give a shit about your stupid coven," the vampire stated, adjusting her outfit but not breaking eye contact. "He was following the King of Louisiana's order."

Oh great. More crazy powerful vampires for her to deal with.

"What exactly happened to Eric?" Raven asked, eager to know what to do.

The woman gave a death glare, hesitating to tell her for a minute before she spoke.

"He doesn't remember anything. He doesn't even know who he is. Or who I am, his own progeny," she grumbled.

Stripping someone's memory was moderately difficult. But from someone so old and powerful? Whoever's spirit they summoned after her, was not fucking around. The coven swore Marnie just said words, so a spell to reverse it wouldn't be too complicated. If it was blood magic, then Eric would have been really screwed. Raven hoped she had enough magic left in her today to do this, as she had already performed quite a bit of magic setting her house up and putting up all the protective spells. Her magical endurance was definitely not at peak performance, as she left her house very little in the past century.

"Where is he?" Raven asked. "I can do it right now."

"He isn't here, he's at a safe location. I can take you at nightfall," said the vampire, zipping behind the bar. "But bitch, if you double cross me, I will shoot you right between the eyes." she added, revealing a gun.

* * *

It was night time when they pulled up to a quaint farmhouse in Bon Temps. This didn't look like a vampire hideout, it just looked like a regular old country farmhouse. Pamela, the blonde vampire, strolled right inside. Raven was surprised a human would have invited her in.

"Eric!" Pam called out.

"Oh good, you're here. Pam I've had enough of this shit," exclaimed a voice from another room. The house was in pristine condition, but very much decorated by a southern grandma. Raven followed Pam into the kitchen where yet another blonde woman was sitting down at the kitchen table. She seemed tired, but she looked very much like the woman in the photo that Eric had given her. Short, tanned, smooth blonde hair and big brown eyes. This was Sookie. "Who the hell is she?" She asked.

"She's here to help," said Pam. "Where's Eric?"  
"Asleep, finally. You won't believe the day I had babysitting him today. I swear he's like a seven foot toddler." Sookie got up and stormed off. She opened an armoire and yelled inside it for Eric. She was hiding Eric in closet?

"He drank a faery dry last night, then ran around all day drunk as a skunk. I had to get Alcide to lure him back in the house, then he had a full blown mid-life crisis -"

There were faeries here? Raven asked herself. Eric emerged, wearing old gym shorts and a Louisiana State college sweatshirt with ripped arms. Whoever this was, was not the same Eric Northman that showed up at her house all those times. Still very handsome, but the look in his eye had changed. It wasn't the confident, sexy vampire Raven remembered, but a very raw and vulnerable version of him. The blue eyes that looked back at her, were not the same ones that gazed so intently from her sunroom's doorway. He was a lost sweet little boy, it was a bit unnerving.

"Eric, she's here to give your memories back," said Pam.

"This is the witch that hurt him?" Asked Sookie, putting herself between Raven and Eric.

"No," said Raven. "I am just here to help."

She heard buzzing whispers in her head. Before she could even realize what was happening, Sookie screamed, covering her ears and shutting her eyes.

"Sookie Stackhouse, stay out of my head!" Raven roared. The lights flickered.

Eric jumped forward, fangs out and grabbed Raven's bare arm, but quickly let go, hand burning like it had touched silver. Sookie's whimpers quieted down, but she was still scared. All she did was try to read Raven's thoughts. Eric towered over Raven, cornering her against the living room wall. Fangs a little too close for comfort. This was not like the times he insisted on being invited in. This was not like that at all.

"Faeries are forbidden from looking into a witch's mind. Witches are forbidden from taking a Fae's light. It's a law spell, it's automatic. It wasn't me," Raven said calmly. She had to diffuse the situation or she would get nowhere.

"Alright, enough!" Snapped Pam. "Let's get this over with. Raven do your thing before I lose my patience."

Sookie looked conflicted, but she walked towards Eric and touched his bare arms. He instantly relaxed.

"Okay, go ahead," she told Raven.

"No," muttered Eric. "I don't want my memories back."

Things went from threatening to very awkward very quickly. Eric looked ashamed, it was really strange to see.

"I want to stay here with you, Sookie."

Sookie tried to contain her smile and Pam rolled her eyes, throwing her arms up. Raven thought of what Pam had told her about the King. Empty-headed Eric Northam was the last of her worries. It was best that she fixed him pronto and moved on to the next vampire on her list. However, things would first get more uncomfortable.

"Glamour him back already!" Commanded Pam.

"Witches can't glamour…just look away," said Raven. But no one moved. All three blondes were intensely staring at her. Pam turned the safety off on her gun and pointed it at her. "Or not. Okay then, Eric," Raven said, grabbing his big hand. He flinched, but his hand didn't burn this time. "I will give your memories back now."

He looked at her with big, sad eyes.

"I don't want them back."

"Oh for fuck sake, yes you do, Eric!" Pamela yelled..

"She's right Eric. I know it's scary, but things will be much better if you know."

"But I don't want to remember all the bad things I did. I hurt Sookie," he whispered. "I hurt a lot of people."

"Just do it already!" Barked Pam.

"I've hurt a lot of people too," Raven continued, ignoring Pamela. Why was she arguing with a seven foot toddler? She didn't know. But it pained her to see Eric like this. "But forgetting won't erase what you did. How else would you make amends? Say sorry and mean it?"

He nodded. Finally. She approached him carefully, looking into his eyes and grazing his arm. He looked at her, curiously. They moved closer. She could feel Sookie's and Pamela's eyes on them. This better work, she prayed. Raven stood on her tippy-toes, and delicately held his face, her lips touched his. She felt chills down her entire body as she closed her eyes. She could hear Sookie scoff loudly.

"Are you serious?"

"Beats watchin' the other witches kiss," said Pam.

Raven started saying the reversing spell in her head, but it was hard to concentrate. Not because of the peanut gallery, but because kissing Eric Northman was incredibly distracting. His hands gently hugged her hips.

Omne magicae fecirit, revertemur ad vos.

She felt a ball of energy in her stomach radiating throughout her body. Eric's hands brought her body closer, her torso collided with his, and now his tongue slipped in her mouth.

Omnes abstulit gaudium, revertemur ad vos.

She could feel him all around her, his strong arms hugging her tighter. Static electricity tingled on her skin.

Ut dolorem ablatam, revertemur ad vos.

Her heart was beating so fast she was sure even Sookie could hear it. Eric was an excellent kisser.

Ut omnia quae ammisa -

His hands slid down her ass and picked her up, placing her on top of a cabinet behind her. Family portraits were knocked over.

Revertemur ad vos

He stood between Raven's legs, body tight against hers and she could feel hot flashes all through her body, making her dizzy. They kissed so deeply, she could barely breathe. She never wanted him to stop.

Ex reverteur Lethe.

His right hand moved up her back and his fingers intertwined with her hair. He gently bit her lip. If Pam and Sookie weren't staring with the intensity of three suns, Raven would do him right here. His lips pulled away. When Raven opened her eyes, the same Eric that hung out on her deck stood in front of her.

"You," he said, staring into her eyes.

"Eric? Is it you?" Pamela cried out.

"Yes, thank you Pam," he added, not breaking eye contact. Raven could see the tension leave Pam's body. The room was spinning. Before he said anything else, all she could see was a blur. Wind rushing loud in her ears. Then, moonlight quiet. She was in the middle of the woods, her back against a tree. Eric in front of her, still holding her tight.

"Now, where were we?" He asked, lips twitching up into a smirk.

* * *

The little witch held onto his arms even after he dragged her into the woods. Eric didn't quite understand why she was here, but boy was he glad that she was. He'd longed for her body for so long. No invitation spell would stop him now. She was right in his arms.

"Now, where were we?"

Raven's knees buckled and she slid against the tree, her eyes not focusing on anything.

"Woah there," he let her down on the grass gently.

"That was a lot of magic," she whispered. "I'm going to sleep now." Her voice faded with her breath. She was still holding onto him, her embrace so trusting.

She closed her eyes and stopped moving altogether. Eric sat in the woods with the sleeping witch in his arms, unsure of what to do. This is not how he wanted to take her, he would have to wait. He would not settle for anything less than a real night with her. He just looked at her peaceful face, nestled on his chest. He felt such a fascination with her. He never realized before, but she was the exact opposite of Sookie. Raven had pale skin, and long glossy black hair. She was a bit taller than Sookie but not by much. Still slender, but curvier. Her breasts were fuller, and she had a perfect ass. She also had a tattoo of a pentagram centered below her breasts, which was a very sexy edgy detail. Raven was completely accepting of who she was, and seemed to embrace her powers fully. As she should. He just embraced her for a moment, the taste of her kiss still on his lips.

He carried her back to Sookie's house. Or his house, rather. His favourite blondes were standing on the front porch, where Pam was writing Sookie a check. For taking care of him, if he remembered correctly.

"That was awfully fast," sassed Sookie, her arms crossed over her chest.

"That's because nothing happened." How insulting. "Giving back my memories seems to have drained her."

"What are you gonna do with her?" She asked.

"Wouldn't you like to know," Eric teased.

He put Raven's dorment body in the backseat of Pamela's car, and hopped in the driver's seat, Pam following soon after.

"I thought Bill had set you up," Pamela explained as they drove away. "That's why I hid you at Sookie's."

"That was a great plan Pam, thank you," he said.

"Then this baby goth walked into Fangtasia, saying she was part of the coven in Shreveport and could reverse the spell and I had to take a chance. Bill was blowing up your phone with texts, looking for you. I had no choice."

He nodded. Bill would for certain kill Raven, or Eric would get himself killed trying to protect her. He had to come up with something and quickly.

"I knew you went to see a witch once last year…but she was also all your out of state trips since, wasn't she?"

"Yes," he answered, avoiding eye contact. There was only one thing he could do that would not lead to his and Pam's true death.

"You could have told me."

"Yeah. Well, I didn't mean for any of this to happen. There was something about her."

"There's something about all of them, Eric! Sylvie, Sookie, this chick."

He drove down the dirt road faster. How could she not see that he was protecting her by not telling her? He really didn't want to have this conversation. Especially not now, with what he was about to do.

"Drop it, Pamela." He turned onto the road that led to Bill Compton's house. Pam must have understood what the next step was, and didn't speak for the rest of the drive. Once they arrived and drove past security, he took Raven out of the car, carrying her gently. She was still out cold.

"Eric," Bill called from his office. He looked surprised as soon as he walked in, past the guards. "Who's this?"

"This is your new weapon." Pam shot Eric a confused look. "Raven Blackwood is a very powerful witch."

"This is not what I asked you to do. I told you to take care of 'em."

He had a frown on his face, but he was intrigued. Bill examined the woman in Eric's arms.

"She tracked Sookie in the Fae realm. She can track anyone, anywhere, any time. All she needs is a piece of them. Blood, hair, fingernail. I'm sure she's capable of much more. She can be a huge asset to your empire."

"You knew where Sookie was this whole time?" Bill asked firmly, making his way behind his desk. He shot a bitter look at Raven. "I will not allow necromancy anywhere near us. What's stopping her from controlling all of us? How do I know she's not controlling you right now?"

The guards weapons raised and pointed at them. Pam and Eric's fang came out at the same time.

"Don't be an idiot, Bill. Look at her! Eric is handing you the biggest weapon you've ever had with a big fucking bow on it, and you're still looking for excuses to kill him. What else does he have to do to prove his goddamn loyalty?!"

Bill looked angry. He nodded at guards to stand down. Pam added just the right amount of drama. It was one of the reasons he loved her so much.

"Why is she passed out?"

Eric couldn't let Bill know that the witches had attacked him in the first place, nor that they had limited power. He had to lie.

"Witches pass out after they orgasm," he smirked.

He saw Pamela smiling from the corner of his eye. Bill's face changed from angry to annoyed.

"Fine. I'll take her." This was going to be the real hard part. "Derek, bring in the collar."

Guards entered the room, one holding a big iron collar, with spikes pointing inward. He felt heavy, like his heart sunk down further in his chest. Oh, this is not what he wanted at all.  
"She's not hostile, you don't have to chain her up," Eric told Bill.

"Iron suppresses a witch's power," Bill informed them. Well fuck, that would have been handy to know two days ago. He wondered if Pam was right, that Bill had indeed set him up.

The guard locked the heavy collar on Raven's perfect neck and motioned him to lay her down on an armchair. Eric did it ever so gently, drowning in regret on the inside. He had betrayed the woman who had been nothing but helpful to him. He knew she would never trust him again after this. But he had no choice, Eric told himself. Bill would kill him if he found out he was working with a witch from a necromancing coven.

"You really know how to make allies Bill," Pam barked. Eric was surprised Pam was on Raven's side.

"We have to be careful. You two are dismissed. I'll talk to our new friend when she wakes up."

Eric hesitated leaving.

"She trusts me. I can -"

"Leave!" Bill firmly commanded.

Eric silently got in the car with Pam and they drove home. He had a feeling he would never see Raven alive again. He shouldn't have brought her here. He remembered her easy smile when she first opened that door, a year ago.

"Of all the bad things that have happened to women you liked," Pam said with a very serious tone. "This is by far the worst."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again everyone! I'm posting a little earlier this week because I won't have to time to do it tomorrow. So earlier is better than later, eh?
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone who has read, reviewed, kudo'd so far!
> 
> I had an insane amount of fun writing this chapter! Pam being iconic, both Sookie and Bill appear in this chapter, Raven kisses Eric, there's magic, there's conflict, and Eric fucked up big time here.
> 
> Tell me your feelings in the reviews!
> 
> LOVE U ALL SEE YOU NEXT WEEK XOXO


	6. The Chain

The Sunday post-church shift was always a busy one, but that was just what Sookie wanted. She needed to keep her mind busy after the weekend she had babysitting Eric's ass. It was a bizarre experience seeing Eric so…docile? In what world could docile be used to describe Eric Northman? Anything can happen, I guess, she thought, approaching the kitchen. Maybe Eric could be sweet and nice, it was just buried deep down there. Maybe that was his true self after all, he was just too old and cynical to let himself be that way. But she knew the truth. She knew who he really was. She felt a pang of guilt for the butterflies in her stomach every time Eric's smile came to her mind. Sookie knew it would hurt Bill if she fell for Eric. Table 6's order was on the ledge, she was just waiting on a side of fries. Lafayette was thoroughly distracted with his phone.

"Lafayette, what's the ETA on those fries?" Sookie asked. He continued texting. "Lafayette!" She yelled, getting his attention.

"Damn hooker, I heard you the first time. Damn." He didn't even look up.

Sookie was getting very annoyed with him, he was taking forever with the food today. Holly was also distracted, it was just Sookie holding down the fort today. She didn't mean to, but she eavesdropped on his thoughts.

Please don't be dead, please don't be dead. Hooker, you better not be dead.

"Who's dead?" She asked without thinking.

"Sook! No fucking snoopin' in my head!" Lafayette looked up, putting his phone away.

"Sorry…but who's in trouble?" She asked again.

Lafayette's face darkened. Holly walked up beside Sookie, also waiting on her food. He nodded his head to her, and they exchanged a serious look.

"Will someone tell me what the hell is going on?" Sookie snapped.

"We got into some low-key trouble with Eric Northman," whispered Holly. "But a… Friend? I guess? Offered to help. We haven't heard from her since."

Sookie had so many questions she didn't even know where to start.

"What kind of trouble? And what friend?"

"Eric crashed our coven meeting on Friday, some serious shit went down. He attacked a crazy bitch from our coven, she did some crazy-ass voodoo magic, it was a whole ordeal."

Sookie was putting the pieces together. Bill sent Eric to deal with a coven of witches and he was attacked, which made Pam certain it was a trap. Eric lost his memories until that pale woman made out with him and apparently reversed the curse. She knew how they felt about Eric, so she didn't want to reveal that Eric was actually with her all weekend.

"Marnie isn't crazy!" Holly protested. Lafayette rolled his eyes and finally took the fries out of the fryer. "This new woman joined the coven, a real witch mind you, offered to help, says she knows Eric. But neither of us heard from her since. It's been two days. We've both been texting and calling her, and nothin'," Holly added.

This witch sounded a lot like Raven, the witch who kissed Eric's memories back into him. And the last time Sookie saw her was the previous night, when an unconscious Raven was being put in the back of Pam's car. Sookie's heart rate spiked. What the hell did Eric and Pam do to her? It was daylight, so it's not like she could just call them and ask. At nightfall, she would go to Fangtasia to look for her.

* * *

She was in the dark woods. The trees were columns that held up the sky. The forest surrounding her was never-ending in all directions. She carefully stepped ahead, trying not to slip on the wet moss that covered the thick tree roots. She'd been here before, many times. Her hands held onto each tree she passed. The bark was cold to the touch. She didn't know where she was going, but this place was familiar. She found a patch of smooth dirt that cut through the woods. She carefully walked to it, feeling the cold air on her bare body. This was new. She had never seen a path in the woods before.

With a deep breath, Raven woke up in an empty white room with a silver bar door. She got up from the bed and looked directly at the toilet in front of her. It was a cell. She was in a fucking cell. She heard the wrangling of chains and then she noticed her new necklace: an inner spiked metal collar, with a long and heavy chain dangling from it. It was attached to the wall behind her. If this was iron as she suspected, she was basically screwed.

She moved to this shithole of a state, saved the asses of people she didn't even know, and did one hell of a favour for a fucking vampire son of a bitch and he imprisoned her? Hell to fucking no. She had been collared in iron before, she knew exactly what it did. But her spirit was stubborn and she had to try. Raven attempted to break the collar with magic. Like deja vu, it didn't work. She was powerless. She felt pure rage in every panicked heartbeat pounding through her body. She walked to the cell's door and looked down the sterile hallway. She seemed to be alone. There were no windows or clocks, she had no idea what time it was or how long she's been passed out for. She was very hungry and thirsty so it must have been hours.

"Eric! You motherfucking asshole! Let me out right now!" She yelled down the empty hallway.

Raven heard a door open and steps approaching. Two men dressed in black tactical gear holding large assault rifles approached her door. One pointed the gun right at her, and a little red laser dot danced on her chest. No wonder Lafayette was terrified of Eric. She wondered if this was the same dungeon he was locked and tortured in. For the first time in a long time she was afraid. Truly afraid.

"Hands up," he ordered and she complied.

The other guard opened the door and entered the cell. He removed her chain from the wall. The guard pointing the gun at her told her to follow him. The other guard walked right behind her holding the end of the 8-foot chain. Too bad it wasn't made of silver, because she would definitely use it to hurt Eric. Oh, but she was going to hurt him very much.

They took her up a set of stairs that led to a beautiful large foyer. On the other side sat a set of large double doors that looked like they led outside. Off to the right, the guards took her to a large modern office, where she was told to sit, and they locked the door behind her. And as soon as they did, Raven started looking for a weapon. A pen, a letter opener, a solid paper weight. She rushed over to the desk, her heart was beating so fast she could hear it in her ears. There were only papers and documents there and it wasn't until she was three drawers deep that she stopped to read what the documents said. They were all addressed to, and signed by, a William Compton.

"Who the fuck is William Compton?" She muttered. The double doors opened wide.

"The King of Louisiana," stated a pale man, walking in calmly. He closed the doors behind him. He was handsome, in an old-fashioned way. He had short, dark hair and kind blue eyes. Were any men in this town ugly? Satan. "I must apologize for the safety precautions," he said pointing to the collar. Raven put the papers down and shut the drawer with her knee. "One of my Sheriffs brought you to me and I wasn't sure what to expect."

Her heart sank. Eric had sold her out. The first time she was vulnerable in over a century and she ended up chained like a pet at a Vamp King's basement. The second time she was vulnerable at the mercy of men, and it had betrayed her. She didn't hate Eric until this instant. This hurt her more than if Eric himself was doing this to her. Eric Northam was officially a piece of shit.

"Are you hungry?" He asked. "You've been asleep for a whole day."

Raven didn't move or answer. She knew nothing about this guy, just that he had an issue with her coven. Probably because of Marnie's little necromancy stunt. But how did he know? She made an educated guess, trusting her witchy intuition.

"Which one them is yours?" She asked.

"Sorry I don't understand the question."

"Which witch in my coven is your spy?"

He chuckled and looked down. Bingo.

"You see, I had to be safe. Witches and vampires don't have the best track record-"

"Save it," she interrupted. He was preaching to the choir here. "What do you want from me? If you wanted to kill me you'd have done it already."

William Compton paused for a second before speaking. His eyes studied her curiously.

"Eric assured me you are more valuable alive." Oh lucky her. "However, I must warn you, I want no necromancers in my Kingdom." Kingdom may be too strong a word for Louisiana, but okay.

"For someone who knows so much about witches," she toyed with her collar. "You know very little."

"Enlighten me, Miss Blackwood." He nonchalantly walked to his mini bar fridge and poured thick burgundy blood from a decanter onto a glass.

"I've arrived in this coven two nights ago, and they have accepted me as their High Priestess. I have forbidden them to use magic without my permission for the time being, and I have abolished necromancy forever."

He raised an eyebrow.

"See, in order for a witch to perform such dark magic, there must be a trade off. A life for a life. And your soul will forever be cursed if your perform such dark acts. It's in everyone's best interest if no one partakes in such vile magic."

He held his glass close, mulling over her words.

"They didn't make a sacrifice, none of them died, the spell didn't actually work. They are babies, they don't know what they are doing. Under my guidance, they will only perform good and safe magic. No necromancy, not ever."

He took another moment, deep in thought.

"Have you heard of the 1610 Spanish Massacre?" He asked.

"No," she lied. She finally understood why he was so scared of necromancy. Getting out of this was going to be complicated.

"A Spanish witch, a master in necromancy, forced all vampires within a 20 mile radius to walk into the sun."

"Let me guess, she was captured and shackled by vampires beforehand?" Raven said, gesturing to her chain. "Tortured? Raped maybe? Then burned alive for public entertainment? It has happened more than a couple of times since the 10th century."

He smiled. He had really nice eyes. They reminded her of her of paintings of mother.

"Witches don't tend to attack if unprovoked. That shit you made Eric pull back there, to say it was provoking would be an understatement."

Bill brows furrowed together.

"I know Eric tends to be a bit…strong-handed. But how do I know you aren't lying? You could make all of us walk into the sun tomorrow."

"Because if I could or even wanted to, I would already have done it."

There was silence. He sipped at his drink. Raven leaned against the front of the desk. Her satin dress rode up a little as she crossed her legs.. She couldn't perform magic, but she was still a woman.

"What value did Eric say I had?" She asked, a little softer.

"He said you could track anyone. That you found Sookie."

"Yes, I did. I can also conjure riches, brew potions, manipulate the minds of humans, create portals that can take you anywhere in the blink of an eye," she could see a glimmer in his eye. "All for a price."

He walked closer. She almost held her breath.

"Do you have a retainer fee?"

"Well yes, your highness. I do."

* * *

About an hour after she was taken to Bill Compton's office, Raven was free to go. It didn't take much convincing on her part, which meant he already had plans in mind. He had agreed to pay her a handsome yearly retainer for her services, and she would charge against it whenever he used it. In return, she'd live freely, and lead her coven necromancy-free. She hated it. She hated that she now worked for a Vampire King. For the American Vampire League. It was dirty money. She was, collared or not, on someone's leash. It was not honourable in the slightest. She could already hear her father's disappointed voice in the back of her mind. At least the coven was safe. Now all she had to do was make sure they didn't do anything stupid, basically forever.

Bill followed her out to the front porch, where she could see Eric waiting for her in the driveway. He was leaning against a Porsche, and had a serious expression on his face.

"It was a pleasure working with you, Miss Blackwood. I have arranged your ride home," explained Bill, shaking her hand. Of course he was her ride home.

"And the collar?" She asked, a soft expression on her face.

"Eric has the keys. Have a lovely evening." Bill walked back inside, leaving her alone with Eric and his guards.

That was just the cherry on top of this clusterfuck sundae. She bundled up her chain, and walked to the car. She slipped inside after he held the door open for her. His car smelled brand new.

"I really like this look on you. Very slave Princess Leia, super kinky." He had that stupid smirk on his face.

She rolled her eyes. Why did everything have to be so sexual with him? He got in the car while she put on her seatbelt.

"Where to?" He asked.

"Your stupid bar. My car is parked there," barked Raven.

"Or you could stay for a drink or two."

"No thanks. I'm tired."

"Oh come on, it wasn't that bad. Bill Compton's dungeon is a five-star hotel compared to mine."

"I'm tired of you, you idiot. I fucking told you I'd rather drink poison than be owned."

He still had that shit-eating grin on his face, but it looked forced. This could not be any more humiliating. Why the fuck was she still even here? She had no ties to this place. The coven didn't even want her, they were looking for a necromancing spirit to assist them with - wait a minute. A necromancing spirit. What if who they called was the same crazy witch from the Spanish Massacre of 1610? Necromancers were cursed to never be allowed in the realm of the dead. And how many necromancing witches could there be? Raven certainly never heard of any others. She had to meet her coven as soon as possible and put the fear of Satan in Marnie, so she wouldn't try to contact her again.

"Hey, I saved your ass, you should be thanking me," Eric scoffed.

"I can't, this iron collar is just too heavy." The nerve on this guy.

"Trust me, taking you to King Bill is not what I had in mind after that make out session. And Bill doesn't own you like that."

It honestly didn't matter how Bill Compton owned her, at the end of the day she still worked for him. Forever.

"Does this collar even work? Is iron to you what silver is to me?" He asked, not even bothering to hide his curiosity.

"It doesn't hurt me, just renders me powerless."

Again, that was definitely the wrong thing to say. The most devilish smile appeared on his face. His right hand went from the shift stick to her left thigh. To her surprise, the potion she ingested the night before did not burn his hand away - his touch meant no harm. But was it surprise or relief? Raven felt her skin break out in goosebumps. His heavy hand caressed her thigh over the hem of her black dress. When his hand slid between her legs, she felt her face getting hot. She grabbed his hand and moved it away from her body.

"Never in a million years, am I ever going to fuck you, Eric Northman," she said, flushed.

"Your heartbeat tells me otherwise," he shot back, lips twitching.

They drove the rest of the way in silence. She was still mad at him, but she didn't know what to do about it without magic. She would set him on fire. She could hide a hex in his house and have all his teeth fall out. She could poison him, if he bit her. She could mark him and have him haunted by tormented spirits for all eternity. But right now she couldn't do jack shit. She felt small and pathetic, powerless...mortal. Just like her dad said she would be if she didn't join a coven. Except she did and she ended up in the same place anyway. Lose her powers by the hand of her father, or lose her powers at the mercy of vampires? Saw off her own arm with a dull blade, or crush her leg slowly on a vice? Tough choices.

They pulled up to Fangtasia (what a dumb name, who came up with that?), and there was a line at the door. Pam was the bouncer, and she was wearing a full black latex dominatrix-esque outfit.

"It's been swell," said Raven getting out of the car. Her arms were going numb from holding the chains attached to her neck. "Now give me the collar keys and I'll be on my merry way."

He just stood there in the parking lot, hands in his pockets, looking down at her from the other side of the car. He seemed amused.

"Eric. The keys please," she asked, holding out her hand.

"I really like watching you beg..."

That was it. Raven grabbed the chain and wrapped it around the knuckles of her right hand. She pressed her fist hard on the hood of the car and walked around to his side, dragging the screaming chains against his perfect paint job. She had left a deep scratch all around the car. She stood in front of him, furious, and punched his side view mirror right off. Eric looked as if he'd swallowed a lemon, and it was honestly so satisfying to wipe that shit-eating grin off his face. She wanted to pull off his fangs one by one with a set of rusty pliers, but this would have to do.

"Let me. Fucking. Go home." Raven fumed with teeth clenched. He just stared down at her. And then at the car. Then at his mirror on the parking lot ground. He heaved a sigh and reached into his pocket. Raven almost tripped when he suddenly tugged her closer. Her body was touching his again. He unlocked the chain and removed it. The relief Raven felt almost made her cry. Before she could rush off, Eric grabbed her arm. His touch did not burn again. He leaned down to her ear.

"I'm really sorry you're owned by the AVL now. I'm more sorry than you'll ever know," he whispered. If Raven was surprised, she didn't show it.

* * *

When she arrived at her house fifteen minutes later, a wave of exhaustion hit her. Every muscle in her body hurt. She was absolutely emotionally drained. She spent decades by herself and the past 48 hours were nothing but constant conflict, and talking, and shitty sleep. She wasn't even hungry anymore, but nauseated instead. She stepped out of the car and noticed that Jesus, Lafayette and the blonde woman with curly hair from the coven meeting, were on her front steps.

"Where the fuck were you? We were sick to death worryin' about you girl," cried Lafayette.

"How did you even know where I live?" asked Raven, her body was about to collapse. She felt heavy.

"I tracked your phone. Sorry," said Jesus. Raven didn't even know you could do that.

"So how did Eric take it? Are we good? Did you-"

"What's that rash on your neck?" The woman interrupted.

"Yes" Raven replied, tears flooding her eyes. "We are good."

She burst out crying, her knees gave out and her body was headed straight for the porch stairs, but Jesus caught her. She sobbed and none of them said anything, they just sat on the stairs with her, Raven in Jesus' arms, and the blonde stroking her hair. She was at a loss. She was chained for so long after being drained that her powers were still gone. There was no collar to blame it on this time, she was just empty. She felt ashamed.

"Hooker, what did they do to you? Did that motherfucker hurt you?" Lafayette asked.

Adrenaline had left the building. Her body was done. She was pretty sure Pam had broken three of her ribs, and her left shoulder was throbbing. Her neck was sore and the skin on her neck, chest and hands was hot from the iron. She just wanted to lie down and stay down for a week.

After a few minutes she managed to compose herself and told them everything. About Pam, Eric and his memory, being drained, being taken to the King, about Bill and their contract, about the chains, necromancy, and the spy in their coven.

"One of 'em snitched? Bitch, the fuck!" Exclaimed Lafayette.

"If we are going to learn and do real magic, we have to be more selective with our members," said Jesus. Raven nodded in agreement.

"Oh, poor thing," sighed the woman. "We were so worried about you, we thought Eric had killed you."

They took Raven inside and helped her to the couch. She was way too exhausted to make it upstairs.

"Am I trippin'...or is this house way bigger on the inside?" Lafayette asked, eyeing the rooms on the first floor.

She was way too tired to explain the complexities of space bending magic, so she just nodded. The woman, Holly as she learned, brought her a blanket from the armchair and covered her. The kitchen prepared chicken noodle soup and a full kettle of tea. The floating dinner scared the shit out of them, and Jesus had to duck out of it's way. But soon they were distracted by Lucifer, who came down the stairs with inquisitive snorts.

"You rich white folks always have the strangest pets," Lafayette joked.

"He's not a pet, he's a familiar," she explained. "Lucifer was actually a birthday gift from my father."

"Ain't a pet and a familiar the same thing?" He asked.

"No, familiars are magical animals. They don't age but die when we do, and we can draw certain powers from them. They can also protect you, but I don't expect much from Luci, he's just so small." She swallowed a spoonful of soup. "Familiars are also supposed to resonate with your soul."

"A spirit animal," Jesus said. She nodded.

"Bitch your dad thinks your spirit animal is a pig?"

She chuckled, but instantly regretted it when she felt the pinch in her ribs.

"Pigs are actually very intelligent, they imprint on those around them. They ain't no hounds but they are excellent trackers," explained Holly.

Well shit. Raven never even thought of that. It was beyond the realm of possibilities for her to even consider that her father giving her a pig as a familiar was a compliment. She just liked Lucifer because he was adorable.

She inhaled the soup, which made her feel much better. Lafayette gave her some meds to help with the pain. An hour later her body was so relaxed she had melted into the couch. Her body was made of cushions and velvet. Her mind was hazy, and everything moved in slow motion. She just watched the three of them talk and laugh in her living room, Lucifer snuggled up on Lafayette's lap. One of them put a record on, and they opened a bottle of wine from the cellar. Holly didn't leave her side once. They gossiped about Tara and her girlfriend. About Jason being a deputy. About some guy named Andy acting weird lately. Sam's brother missing shifts at the bar. Eric renovated Sookie's house while she was gone. She had no idea who most of these people were but she was fascinated by it all. In a way, it was soothing. Hearing carefree talk echoing in the living room once again. It felt like an absolute privilege having laughter fill the house again. Nothing hurt anymore. She was at home. She was safe. She was with her coven.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everybody!
> 
> RIP Eric's car's paint job (he did deserve worse though).
> 
> We are officially halfway through! I finished the whole story already, it will be 12 chapters long. I'm so excited for you guys to read all of it! There will be book 2 if you guys would like one :)
> 
> Thank you so much lokidoki9 from FFnet for all your edits!
> 
> Let me know what you think in the reviews, and see you next week!
> 
> xoxo


	7. The Portrait

Eric sat on this throne at Fangtasia, watching the dancer wrap and unwrap herself around the pole. But his mind was elsewhere. He was taking his time processing the hectic weekend he had: attacking a coven of witches, being cursed to forget everything that he was, being saved by Sookie. He knew she didn't like him very much, even after everything he did for her. He freed her from Bill's lies, he looked for her when she went missing, he bought and restored her house after the Maenad destroyed it. But in the past two days he met a Sookie he hadn't known before. An incredibly kind one. A Sookie that may grow to reciprocate feelings towards him. Even if she didn't like him, she still helped him. She cared for him when not even Pam could. She protected him when he couldn't protect himself. He had never experienced anything like it.

And then there was Raven. He remembered seeing the sexy witch with the coven on Friday. She was standing in the circle, talking to them. But then just a second later she vanished. Next time he saw her, they were kissing. Eric remembered grabbing her ass, pushing her onto the dresser, and having her legs wrapped around his hips, holding him close. He remembered how she tasted. The memories flowed through his brain. He remembered feeling static electricity across his skin. Kissing her was intoxicating. He remembered holding her body in the woods. How light she was when he left her at Bill's house. The look of pure rage she had when she punched his car. She would never forgive him. Eric wouldn't, if he was her. She was now an American Vampire League's bitch, like he was. Like Pam was. It took decades for Pam - who was his only progeny and loved him - to forgive him for dragging her into the hell-hole that is Shreveport. He couldn't expect Raven to do the same. Why would she? He wished he could undo what he did, but there was no other way out. Torturing himself any further would be futile.

From the corner of his eye, he noticed a little tan blonde cut through the crowd at the bar, zig-zagging through the people, determined to get to him. Sookie Stackhouse stopped dead center in front of him, blocking the view of the dancer entirely.

"Eric," she stated.

"Sookie," he answered.

"How are you feeling?" She asked softly.

How to kill a boner in four words or less, he thought. Eric got up without saying anything, looked at her for a moment before walking away, back to his office. She followed close at his heels.

"What did you do to her?"

"Why do you care? Jealous?" He smiled as he entered his office and sat down on his chair.

"No!" barked Sookie. "People are worried about her, that's all."

"Are they now?"

He knew that to be the truth. Eric followed Raven home after she got into the car. He flew high, following her car all the way through the woods, by the lake. Somehow, she had teleported her house there all the way from Vermont. She was now deliciously close, he thought. He hid in the trees, and watched as Lafayette and two other coven members hugged her as she cried on her front steps. Listening to her cries echoing in the trees was absolutely gut-wrenching. He returned to Fangtasia just moments later.

"Well, she's safe and sound and relatively unscathed."

Sookie raised her eyebrows.

"How did you know her?"

"So you are jealous..." He smirked. She scoffed. Sookie looked much cuter when she was angry.

"You recognized her, after the spell."

"I hired her to find you a year ago," he confessed.

Her face changed from annoyed to confused, then to angry.

"You knew where I was?" She asked, with a hard stare. "That whole speech that you never gave up hope…was a lie?" Her voice trembled. "You bought my fucking house knowing full well I was coming back? God, you're worse than Bill!"

That stung.

"I didn't give up hope! I knew where you were, not when you were coming back. Why don't you just accept that you're mine already?" He asked her. Why did the women in his life have to be so difficult?

"Go fuck yourself, Eric," Sookie barked. She was as cute as a pissed off Pomeranian.

"Fuck me yourself." He rushed over to her, her body not barely an inch away. She didn't flinch, he liked that.

"You can drop the act, mister." she barked. "I know you aren't like this."

He swallowed dry, a pang of embarrassment rushed him. He had been so raw and vulnerable at her house. So incredibly stupid. He had been so incredibly lucky she had protected him.

"Like what?"

She scoffed loudly.

"You don't remember...Us?"

"No." he lied.

Her hand curled into a fist, and her heels clicked as she walked out of his office.

"Sookie!" Eric called out. She stopped in the doorway, and turned to face him. She was so beautiful. "Pam told me what you did. Thank you for taking care of me. I would have been in real danger if it wasn't for you."

Her body relaxed. She shot him a look. She looked at him like he didn't know who he was again. He liked the way she looked at him.

"Are you thankful enough to give me my house back?" She asked with a small smile.

"I'll think about it." He was trying to protect her, dammit.

Sookie left with as much sass as she entered with.

Raven and Sookie both walked away mad at him tonight. It didn't matter that he was trying to keep them safe, they didn't want it by his hand. It seemed like they didn't want him at all.

* * *

Jesus decided to stay at Raven's house because he was worried she had a concussion. Lafayette decided to stay because this house gave him the creeps and he didn't trust Jesus to be here alone. They both slept on the large velvet couches in the living room, as the guest bedrooms were not exactly made for guests. There were five bedrooms upstairs, the only clean one looked to be Raven's, judging by the closet full of black slip dresses. The others were dusty, and old. The furniture in those rooms was entirely Victorian, unlike the mish-mash throughout the rest of the house. Heavy velvet drapes covered the windows and ancient rugs adorned the floors. There were old dresses and shoes spread throughout the room, papers on the desks, trinkets littering the floor. All the beds were unmade, and the sheets looked old. It was like they left in a hurry and never came back, 200 years ago. It was unsettling to say the least.

The next morning Lafayette ended up lightly snooping through the rest of the house while Jesus attempted to make breakfast. It was a damn noble effort, because the kitchen was straight up haunted and wouldn't let him do it. The fridge door closed every time he opened it, the tap would freeze if he tried to get water. Utensils and plates would float back to their shelves when they set the table. They ended up eating apples and scones from a basket on the counter.

Upon further snooping, they discovered this house was huge on the inside. It was strange to think only one person lived there. All the furniture was old and mismatched, and there was a lot of it. It was a mix of antiques, of many eras. Raven's TV was from the 80s, and she had a big stereo from the 90s. No wi-fi in sight, or a computer to speak of. But it was also incredibly cozy. It had rugs, potted plants and flowers everywhere. There was a small dining room with a large hutch filled with tea cups and doilies. Knitted blankets on big comfy chairs, paintings, China collections, little trinkets everywhere. There was also a massive collection of LPs and VHS tapes.

"This bitch wasn't lying when she said she was 400 years old."

"No kidding," Jesus agreed.

They continued exploring until they ended up in a formal dining room. There was a long oak table that sat 14 people. There was a feather duster dancing on top of the table, swirling gently. The walls were adorned with paintings and photographs of people, mostly women.

"Look!" Jesus pointed to one of the frames.

It was a large painting of six women in the Victorian period. Three of them were sitting on a small victorian couch, and three of them were standing right behind them. They were all gently smiling, and wore long white and pastel dresses and had big intricate hairstyles. The one Jesus was pointed at was unmistakably Raven. Her hair was pinned up, pearls adorning the top of her head. She was wearing a white and pink dress, and her cheeks were blush pink to match it. She looked younger, maybe in her teens but the black hair, the big blue eyes and the delicate face stood out. She looked to be the youngest of the group, and the oldest was sitting right beside her. It was hard to tell their exact ages through the painting.

"And that was about the last time I wore pink," her voice echoed in the room. They turned around, startled. She walked into the dining room. "You guys stayed?"

"Holly had to go, she has teenage boys. But I was worried that you had a concussion. How's your head?" Asked Jesus.

"No complaints." She smiled.

"Now bitch what the fuck is up with your kitchen? We tried to make you breakfast but -"

"But it won't let you. Yeah, she does that." Raven shrugged. "I enchanted the house to be self sufficient, but the kitchen turned out...temperamental."

"That's…cool," Jesus said, impressed. "How are you feeling? Bitch you came home beat the fuck up."

"I definitely have some broken ribs and my shoulder isn't good. But nothing a healing potion can't fix. Before you guys go, let me fix you some breakfast."

They were headed to the kitchen where Raven loudly announced breakfast for three. They sat down in the kitchen island stools, and the kitchen finally got to making food. Bacon, eggs, grilled tomatoes, sourdough bread, milk. Lafayette was distracted by the self cooking magic kitchen. He was both freaked out and amazed.

"What happened to the women in the portrait? Are the rooms upstairs theirs?" Jesus asked, ignoring the kitchen.

Raven knew they were going to ask. She would tell them, in time.

"You haven't guessed already?" She asked with a forced smile.

Jesus and Lafayette shared a look, contemplation on their faces. Should could see the words witch hunt on the tips of their tongues. But before they could say it, she got up.

"Today I need to go see Marnie. I want to make sure things are okay between us. I promised Bill no witch in his area would attempt necromancy ever again."

"Sure," Jesus agreed, looking uncomfortable with the change in subjects. "I'll go with you."

"Excellent," Said Raven, tapping the kitchen island. "I'll go get ready."

She left the kitchen and passed the open dining hall. She saw the faces of her sisters staring back at her on the wall. She kept the doors to the large dining room closed, for the same reasons she never stepped foot in her sisters' rooms. She couldn't bare to look at them. At their memory. Their shy smiles, painted so delicately. Not when the last time she saw them, her sisters were tied together at the stake, their flesh blistering in the fire fuelled by the hatred of men.

* * *

Raven watched the carriage arrive out front at dusk, with two black horses pulling it to her bedroom window. The sky was pink and purple and painted the town down the hill in a beautiful light. The street lamps were already lit. Raven was shaking with excitement. Tonight was the debutante ball for all witches turning 200 that year. She didn't know a whole lot witches and warlocks outside her coven, and her dad who visited sometimes. She was hoping there would be cute boys debuting with her. She could use a break from her coven sisters too. Harriet and Violet were adding more pearls to her hair, while Mabel adjusted her corset so she could breathe a little (but just a little).

"You look stunning, Raven," Harriet said with a grin.

"Thanks," she muttered. Her stomach was alive with butterflies, she was standing as still as she could to avoid getting stabbed in the scalp by the pins. Harriet was no hairdresser.

"Oh Satan, I am so excited!" Whined Violet. "We are going to have another enchantress in the family!"

"Not too late to change your mind," said Mabel. "Just because I have a legacy, doesn't mean I can't teach you."

"I know, but I am sure. I want to learn spells." Raven nodded.

"What amazes me is that you want to spend the next 200 years learning from this weird bird!" Joked Harriet.

"You love this weird bird," mocked Violet, pressing a kiss to Harriet's lips.

"Alright, Raven let's go. You can't be late. Your father is probably already waiting for you at the castle," saiid Agatha, in her long sleeping gown.

They all went downstairs, following Raven out the door. The enchanted black carriage opened its doors for her. She climbed in, taking good care to not wrinkle her dress. She saw her coven atop the black porch stairs, all smiles. Agatha still had a stern look on her face. She was pretty sure Catherine was crying.

"Have fun! Don't kiss too many boys!" Yelled Mabel.

The carriage started moving, she stuck her head out of the window and waved. They shrieked non-sense at her, laughing and crying. They were so genuinely happy, it infected her. Amidst the nervousness and anxiety, she felt loved. She felt so full of joy. So grateful for family. So hopeful of the wonderful life she was about to live.

If only Raven Blackwood knew then that she was never going to see them smile again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO everyone! This is a shorter than usual chapter, just 2.3k words instead of my usual 3.5(-ish)k (sorry!) but all the chapters ahead will be very very long (4k+)! They are Jam. Fucking. PACKED! I can't wait for you guys to read it!
> 
> Anyway, don't forget to tell me what you thought on the reviews, kudos. 
> 
> Thank you so much for following this story so far! 
> 
> See you next week xoxo


	8. The Ghost

After breakfast Lafayette had to leave for work, but Jesus stayed. Raven was going to brew a healing potion and he wanted to learn. And after that, they had planned to visit Marnie and make sure she wasn't going to attempt anything stupid. Raven had a feeling Marnie wasn't very happy with her new coven rules.

Raven took Jesus to the study, where she walked him through the basics of potion making. She had all of Catherine's old books, which had as much of her writing in the corners and between the lines as the original text itself. Raven spent most of her time here, studying as much as she could. Conjuring, healing, potions, spells, history. Unlike most witches, Raven never trained from a higher witch or wizard - so she became somewhat a jack of all trades (but master of none). But studying potions was not her strong suit. She always just followed Catherine's detailed instructions, which more often than not contradicted the original text.

She walked him through the steps of the healing potion, but let Jesus make it himself. Most potions required either a low simmering heat with a cast iron cauldron, or a copper cauldron submerged in ice water. This one, required the former, and according to Catherine's notes, the cauldron needed to be preheated. Raven gathered the ingredients, some from her inventory, and some herbs from the sunroom, then watched Jesus follow the recipe flawlessly. She felt peaceful, watching him add the ingredients to the cauldron, perfectly measured and in the correct order. Raven knew Catherine was the one to take credit for this little class, but she was happy to have found Jesus and Lafayette. She was happy someone wanted to learn from her, and be with her. Magic is supposed to be shared, after all. At the end, they had a deep olive green watery liquid, ready for healing. She took a ladle and slurped the whole thing in one go. It burned on the way down, like it should have.

"How is it?" Jesus asked anxiously. "Did it work?"

"Oh yeah." she told him, scrunching her face. "It's horrible, it tastes like mud, ass and toluene. It is perfect." She coughed.

She explained that there were different healing potions for different kinds of damage. This one was for internal injuries, like broken bones, damaged joints, torn muscles or organ damage by blunt trauma. There were other healing potions for poisoning, open wounds or foreign objects.

"You'll find that living here, you will need to stock one of each," Jesus joked.

They bottled the rest of the potion, which rendered 4 other servings. Raven took another swig of the strength potion and offered some to Jesus.

"I don't think it's necessary, Marnie is an old lady."

"Suit yourself." She took a big gulp of it. "Just one more thing,"

Raven suggested putting a magic hex in Marnie's store. It would allow her to know if Marnie was up to no good. Jesus was against the idea at first, but she insisted their asses would be toast if Marnie betrayed them. Plus the hex would not harm her whatsoever. It would be linked to an amulet that Raven would wear on her body and the centerpiece jewel would change if Marnie was invoking any dark magic, like necromancy. Jesus finally agreed. Raven got a little cotton cloth pouch and started adding the ingredients. A parsley leaf, to bind life. Three drops of her blood, the sacrifice. The bone of a cursed owl, to represent necromancy. Now all she needed was a piece of Marnie, and to hide this in her store. They would have to improvise how they would finish the bag. She thought it was best for Jesus to do it, so as to not raise suspicion. She taught him the hex spell and gave him the amulet. She would have to trust him to not fuck this up.

They drove to Shreveport, which was only thirty minutes from her house in the woods. She learnt a lot about Jesus in the car. He was a mental health nurse at a special care home, and that's how he met Lafayette, as his mother Ruby was one of his patients. He also told her Lafayette was a medium, and that's why he brought him along in the coven. Jesus was brought up with magic, taught by his grandfather. But his methods were dark. Jesus told Raven about the pet goat he killed in a ritual.

"He made you take apart a familiar?" She gasped, horrified. He looked confused. "Jesus, that is despicable. I don't blame you for leaving at all!"

"What do you mean by taking apart?"

"That is a ritual where you take the magic from a magical creature or witch and then kill them, to absorb their magic. It's barbaric. And to do it to an innocent familiar?"

Jesus went pale, his face frowned in disgust.

"I didn't know…he never told me what I was doing."

"Jesus, you did nothing wrong. Your grandfather was twisted, you couldn't have known. I cannot imagine anyone who would do this to a familiar."

They drove the rest of the way in silence. What a sick man. And to make a child do it? They drove through a simple commercial strip and arrived to Marnie's store and Raven parked the car a block down.

"I'm really glad you're here Raven," Jesus said as they walked. "I know it's not much, but I hope you remember me next time you feel like you don't deserve to be alive."

She felt a pit in her throat. She gave his hand a squeeze. She was quickly falling in love with her new coven. Jesus tried to open the door to the store but it was closed. The lights inside were off.

"Hm, that's weird. The store is supposed to be open. She lives upstairs, let's knock."

They went up a set of stairs two doors down from the Empire's front door. The inside of the building was a bit run down, and it had dirty, cheap carpet covering the floor. Jesus knocked, and not too long after, Marnie answered the door. She looked tired, and was wearing a long, baggy black cotton dress. She had wide eyes, but didn't say anything.

"Marnie, we wanted to talk. You weren't answering any texts," Jesus began.

Marnie just stood in the doorway, thinking.

"Quién eres?" She asked with a different tone of voice.

"Marnie?" Jesus asked confused. "You don't speak Spanish."

Ravens heart jumped out of her chest. Have you heard of the 1610 Spanish Massacre? Bill's voice echoed in her head. With a jump, Raven grabbed her shoulders and pushed Marnie's body deeper inside her apartment. She shoved her onto the kitchen table, knocking over the chairs, and a plate. Marnie's hands pushed her face away, trying to touch her neck.

"Raven!" Jesus cried. "What the hell are you doing?!" He grabbed Ravens arms, trying to pull her off of Marnie.

"She's been possessed!" Raven shouted. Jesus' clenched hands loosened around her biceps. Marnie, or whoever was in there muttered angry words in Spanish.

"Who are you?" Raven shouted.

Marnie's body still trashed on the kitchen table. Her fingers now tried to claw Raven's skin. Raven slammed Marnie's shoulders into the table with force, her head making a loud thump.

"Who are you?!" Raven asked again, angry.

"My name…" Marnie said, in a way very unlike herself. "Is Antonia Gavilán de Logroño."

Jesus looked at Raven, scared.

"And I am here…to get rid of the vampire who attacked Marnie!"

"Well I'm sorry to waste your trip, but that's already taken care of," Raven barked.

She had to send this ghost away once and for all. She had never done an exorcism before, but that spell had been deeply drilled into her head by Agatha since she was a child.

"Jesus, I need you to find something to tie her with, some sage, some water or wine and light all the candles you can find."

Jesus left the kitchen in a hurry, and she could hear him going through Marnie's stuff. Wine and candles would be easy to find in most people's homes. But if she was a decent witch worth her cauldron, she should have some sage lying somewhere. Antonia tried to perform a spell, and Raven covered her mouth with her hand. She didn't know what this spirit was capable of, and hopefully she couldn't cast spells with her mind. She needed to get this spirit out without harming Marnie. Even though the poor woman probably had a concussion already.

Jesus took a while but returned carrying all Raven asked for, plus a scarf. They tied Marnie's body on the kitchen chair and Jesus lit a dozen candles around the kitchen. Raven set fire to the sage and let it burn in the kitchen sink. She started the exorcism spell, while Jesus watched, wide-eyed.

"Et eiciam vos de eius qui tecum sim, immunda spiritus,"

She approached Marnie and opened the glass bottle. It was just filled with what she guessed to be water.

"Virtutes omnes immortui, erupisse hunorum examina omne infernale,"

She tried to make Antonia drink it, but she refused. She had to pinch Marnie's nose shut.

"Per virtutem est in sanguine meo, da mihi vertas dux noctis,"

Marnie finally opened her mouth to gasp for air, and Raven shoved the bottle neck down her throat. Jesus could barely watch.

"Relinquan illam in Corpus mandatum meum!"

Raven removed the bottle from Marnie's mouth. Marnie violently coughed the water out, and as it fell from her lips it evaporated into black smoke. Her whole body relaxed. It had worked. Raven could finally breathe again.

Jesus took in a deep breath and approached Marnie, kneeling beside her and untying her.

"Are you okay?" He asked, loosening her restraints. "You've been possessed!"

Marnie coughed some more and then wiped her wet chin with the sleeve of her dress. She looked at him with a frown. Then at Raven with rage.

"You fools!" She fumed. "Antonia didn't possess me, I invited her in! We had a plan!"

"What? What plan?" Asked Raven, shocked.

"We were going to take care of the vampires once in for all!" She bellowed. "She showed me how! She gave me power!"

Raven and Jesus had no words. She wanted to be possessed?

"We were going to make all vampires walk in the sun, and we would be free!" She raged. "No! Come back, Antonia! Come back!" She cried, frantic.

Raven and Jesus could not believe what they were hearing.

"What she was going to make you do Marnie, is necromancy. I told you we don't do that," Raven said calmly.

"I don't care what you said!" Marnie screamed.

"Who do you think you are? You just showed up here, took my magic from me, took my coven from me! You took Antonia from me! You took everything!"

Raven felt her face get hot with shame. She wished Agatha was here, she would know what to do. If only she could make Marnie see what she was doing was for her own good, and not some power play to take her coven from her.

"It is for your own good! Necromancy will curse the soul of whoever performs it. When you die, and trust me you will die if you go down this path, your soul will never be allowed to enter the realm of the dead and you'll be stuck here forever! I am trying to protect you!" She explained, her voice breaking in desperation. She had to make Marnie understand.

Marnie still had angry tears rolling down her face. Her hands closed into fists.

"Antonia was the only one who understood me," she cried. "I was an outcast my entire life. Called crazy, treated like a freak. Even the abominations that are vampires wanted me gone." She sobbed.

"They are dealt with, Marnie." Soothed Jesus, caressing her shoulders. "Vampires won't attack us anymore. Raven took care of it. And now she can teach us all the magic she knows!" He was trying to cheer her up. "We made a healing potion this morning. She has this incredible study, full of knowledge and-"

"Keep it." She interrupted, looking at Raven. "Keep your coven. Keep your magic. I don't want to be part of it."

"Marnie you can't mean that…" said Jesus. "Isn't real power what you want? What Antonia is giving you isn't real, it's her taking advantage of you."

Raven frowned. She could feel how hurt Marnie was. This was not how she wanted things to be. She wished Marnie could see beyond her pride. She was just trying to do the right thing. She questioned if she was really doing it. What if she was wrong? Maybe she did take everything from Marnie. Maybe Raven was the bad guy.

"Okay," Raven agreed. Jesus shot her a look.

"What?" He shouted.

"But the no necromancy rule stands. That's the peace deal I struck with the vampires. Break it and it will start a war that I cannot finish," Raven explained. "I must protect the coven. You can always join us, if you wish."

"And if I refuse your terms?" She defied, looking disgusted.

"I'll have to take you apart," Raven eyes darkened.

* * *

Four nights passed since Raven spoke to Marnie. A conversation that haunted her still. She still had the feeling that Marnie was a ticking time bomb, but the amulet never changed. Jesus finished the hex bag while he was looking for the exorcism ingredients Raven asked him for, then he hid it behind her toilet. It was very clever, something she was not able to teach. She simply could not have pulled this off without his help. Marnie was still meeting with some people from the coven, the ones that were too scared of Raven. Or ones who didn't want to obey the rules, she thought. She briefly considered asking Elijah what to do, but she knew the answer: kill her. She wondered if maybe she should report her to the Bishop of the Southwestern Church of Night that presided over Louisiana. She felt cold and uneasy with the thought. The Bishop for this district, Alexander Randall, was known to be one power hungry son of a bitch. Elijah did not like him one bit. She sat through many Yuletide dinners where Elijah would complain about Randall pulling shady strings for Papacy - the highest power seat a wizard can take. Raven was willing to make a lot of sacrifices to make her life with her new coven work - but getting involved in politics was not one of them. If Alexander knew a pureblood witch, daughter of another Bishop, had moved into his district and needed a favour, he would never leave her alone. She would certainly have to pledge her coven's loyalty to his District. It would be worse than making a deal with Satan himself. She didn't know but could only imagine things were heated in the higher seats of wizardry in this district after Russel Edgington fucked all supernatural beings on live television by killing a mortal on live television and delivering a chilling Vampire Manifesto. If it wasn't for that bastard, Raven wouldn't even be here.

She got distracted by the noise of wind outside. Her head turned, half expecting to see Eric outside her bedroom window, the other half hoping. But it was just the wind. She remembered his house visits and she honestly didn't know how to feel about him anymore. Ever since he knocked on her door 11 months ago when Sookie went missing, her life had changed quite a bit, and he definitely took the credit. If Eric hadn't attacked the local coven, she wouldn't have come all this way to save them. He also wouldn't have needed to be saved. She remembered kissing him. It was absolutely lustful and electric. She had never kissed any man like that, with so much intensity.

Pushing those thoughts away, Raven nervously continued to prepare for the coven initiation ritual. Tonight they would all come over and they would officially become a coven. She just had to do one last thing before they arrived. She had to call Bill. She went up to her bedroom and got her cellphone. Raven had a wild total of four contacts in her phone, Bill was the first one.

"Bill," she greeted shortly.

"Ah! Raven, how are you doing this fine evening?"

"Great, but I have to warn you of something."

It was silent for a moment.

"Well, go on."

"I am initiating the coven tonight, as we discussed."

"Certainly."

"Call off your spy," she ordered.

"Raven, in order for us to trust one another -"

"Quit the bullshit," Raven interrupted.

"Raven don't you forget that I am your King." he said in a threatening voice.

"No, you are my employer. Not my King."

There was an awkward silence on the line.

"They will be spellbound to never betray the coven. Your spy will die as soon as they sign their name. I'm trying to spare their life," she added with a serious tone.

She could hear a big sigh on the other end of the line. She hoped he couldn't tell she was bluffing. And that he was as kind as his eyes looked. Even if the bar here was set on ground level low.

"As you wish."

And then he hung up.

* * *

Holly, Jesus and Lafayette were in the living room, drinking wine and chatting. Raven really thought more people would show up. Her heart was feeling heavy, both in disappointment and worry. If the rest of the coven weren't here, it probably meant that they were with Marnie. She knew she could be a little intense at times, and that she was out of practice on the mortal interaction part. Please let it be because I'm a bitch, and not because they wanted to be necromancers, or summon Antonia again. Please Satan. Please.

There was a knock at the door. Her heart skipped a beat, and she skipped to the front door. As she opened there was another familiar face standing on her porch.

"Hi," said a nervous red-haired woman. "I'm Katie."

"Here to join us?"

"Yes! Sorry if I'm late."

"We were about to start in a bit."

She led Katie to the living room, where Jesus greeted her with excitement. Raven was pretty sure he was a bit drunk. Raven looked at the grandfather clock: three minutes to midnight. The witching hour. She told the group they were about to start. She turned off the music and led them to the tea room, just off the dining room. It was more of an informal dining room, with a smaller table, a small sitting area, a hutch filled with her favourite tea cups and a lot of plants. She could tell they were nervous - almost as nervous as she was. She told them to stand around the table, where she had prepared the ritual components. The Witch Rule Book, The Church of Night Book, a chalice, a small silver dagger, candles, wine, and parchment. The parchment was for the second part of her bluff. For all she knew, any of them could still be the spy. Even Jesus and Lafayette. Who knows, maybe the spy was glamoured and didn't even know they were a spy.

She lit the candles with a fire spell.

"Before we start I will walk you through the process. I will read the five Witch Commandments, then we will sign our duty, where we pledge loyalty to this coven. If you have entered this coven with ulterior motives, or do ever betray the coven, you will die an instant death." Everyone's eyes grew wide, but there were no protests. "Finally, I will bind us using a blood spell. This will allow each of us to track the others if any of us are in any danger."

Everyone kept eyeing each other. No one moved.

"Alright." Raven opened the Witch Rule Book. "Here are the commandments you will abide by, if you choose to belong in this coven. I'll give you the simplified version of them, because they are too damn long. One, we respect all Gods, all angels and demons. We don't deceive them, disrespect them, or call them in vain."

"Two, we respect the natural world of this realm. We don't disrupt the universe's natural rhythm. Meaning no time travel, no necromancy, no changing seasons or the lunar cycle, no creating new creatures, and all magic has a price that must be paid in order to keep said rhythm. Three, we do not seek power through the suffering of others. Four, all acts of love and pleasure are sacred. Love must be cherished and protected, as love itself, is magic."

"And finally, five. If caught by mortals and accused of witchcraft," she paused. "You must protect the secrecy of our society, and perish alone."

There was a silence. Perish alone. She knew this rule well, her father wrote it. He also broke it to save her, maxing out on her debt to the universe.

"That seems pretty straight forward," commented Holly. They all nodded.

"Now for the contract." This was the made up step. She grabbed a "magic" pen and recited. "I now hereby pledge myself to this coven, I will trade my life if I ever betray it," and she signed her name. She passed the pen to Jesus and instructed him to repeat it. He did so, as did Lafayette and Holly. Katie stood stiff. Holly pushed the paper to Katie, who grabbed the pen with hesitation. She started to look a little clammy as the pen reached the paper. Her hand hovered. That was it. She was the spy.

"I'm. Sorry. I can't." She dropped the pen and bolted for the door. The group looked at Raven.

"Sorry guys, that part was a lie." She grabbed the paper and crushed it into a ball. "I had a feeling Bill Compton was going to use his spy again, and he did."

"So…there was no death threat?" Asked Jesus.

"No. That was a bluff. Again, I'm sorry, but I had to know."

"Damn we can trust no bitch these days," barked Lafayette.

They proceeded with the actual ritual. Raven pricked her finger with the dagger and let some blood fall into the chalice. They all did the same. She then added some wine, and taught them the spell, as they would all have to repeat it.

"Hostiae sanguiem, curabit nos, in unum" she said, and drank a gulp out the chalice.

They all followed suit.

"Hostiae sanguiem, curabit nos, in unum," repeated Jesus, who took a big sip.

"Hostiae sanguiem, curabit nos, in unum," said Lafayette, taking another mouthful.

"Hostiae sanguiem, curabit nos, in unum," chanted Holly, who finished the glass.

Raven couldn't help but smile.

"Now what?" Asked Lafayette.

"We party," she answered, turning the music back on.

* * *

The sun was high in the sky, and it started to burn Raven's shoulders. Living up north for so long, she forgot how hot the south could get, even in late October. She was feeding her chickens out in the yard while admiring her newly planted beets and kale in her vegetable garden. Switching from zone 5 to 8 really increased her growing calendar and she was excited for it. It had been a couple of weeks since she officially started the coven, and she was trying to get back into her old routine. Tend to her chickens, the vegetables, the garden, lunch, study magic, dinner, bath, movies and sleep. Some mornings she would go out to the town for supply runs, some evenings she would go to a bar and people watch. Although, she was struggling to settle in Louisiana. She had this constant feeling of restlessness inside. She was constantly alert. It was uneasy to look out the window and see swamps, instead of the quiet dark woods that matched her dreams. In the quiet evenings, all she heard was the magic wind chime swaying in the porch singing its soothing song. It was enchanted to only swing when magic creatures were near. She had a suspicion a certain vampire was watching her from the trees, but she could never see him. But who knows, Lafayette told her all sorts of crazy stories that happened around these parts, including ghosts, shape shifters, faerie nests, and freaking maenad. This place must be crawling with ley lines to warrant this much trouble. Anything could be out there.

Raven was mid watering her seeds when she heard the sound of a car arriving out front. She walked around the house, expecting someone from her coven, but all she found was an old, beat-up brown Volkswagen. A short skinny blonde dressed as little as possible hopped out of the car. She was covered in vampire bite marks.

"Raven Blackwood?" Asked the woman. She was bubbly and ditzy.

"Yes," she answered.

"This is for you, from the boss." She smiled again. "It is the best night of the year! I hope you come!"

Raven finally recognized the woman. She worked at Fangtasia. She handed Raven a small black envelope, did a 180 and went back into her car, driving away and kicking up a lot of dust on her way.

The envelope had a red wax seal with a fancy 'F' printed on it. She went inside and opened it. It was a Halloween party invitation for Fangtasia for next weekend. Her mouth could not help but smile.

"No way." She caught herself, snapping out of it and forcing a frown. "No way I'm going to that."

Lucifer oinked from the wicker chair in the sunroom.

"I know going to a bar is my usual Samhain tradition, but I'll just go to another one. Literally any other one." She told the pig, as she texted RSVP NO to Eric.

She spent the rest of the week automatically following her usual routine, still feeling like she was living someone else's life. Only her coven meetings made her feel a bit better. She met with Jesus, Lafayette, and Holly twice for their first lessons. Teaching was very enjoyable, and so was their company. She had taught them protective wards for their homes, a basic healing potion and some witch history, including some of the most important Decrees to know. Next lesson would focus on Lafayette, so he could learn to control his powerful medium powers. She had already dug up her hand and poke tattoo kit and was going to give them all pentagram tattoos to protect them from ghosts - Satan knew how many they had crawling around.

Before Raven knew, it was Halloween night. Raven was in her bedroom putting black lipstick on, and she was already feeling the buzz of Lafayette's leftover tequila from their last coven party. For her Halloween costume she was wearing her usual: a short slip satin dress (her favourite), cheetah print (not black!), and a headband with fake cheetah ears. She also had sewn a black tail from a stuffed toy on the back of her dress. Was it half-assed? Yes. But was it slutty and not at all classy? Also yes. But to her that was the true spirit of Halloween for mortals, the perfect distraction from the holiday she couldn't participate in: Samhain. It was the night where the veil between the living and the dead realms was thinnest. It was the perfect night for witches to get together for Seances and summon their dead loved ones, from the evening of October 31st, all the way through the sunset of November 1st. It was a day that they would spend together like a big happy but bittersweet family reunion. Even though the list of Raven's lost loved ones was long, her coven sister's bodies were burnt, which meant they had no ties to this realm to visit through. And her mother… Well, she never came. Raven spent about a hundred or so Samhain Eve's sitting in seance circles trying to call her, but her ghost never came. And no matter how many times she asked Elijah why her mother never once visited her, not even to meet her, he never answered truthfully. I don't know Raven, his voice echoed in her head. But she loved you very much. Raven knew deep in her heart, it was a lie - but she didn't know which part. So while everyone got together with everyone they lost, she always drowned the sorrow by going to mortal Halloween. She would get very drunk, dance, flirt with strangers and hopefully get laid. Then she spent all of November 1st hungover and asleep. It had been her tradition for at least 30 years. She'd been a cheetah for the past 3 and had excellent results in the 'getting laid' department. She stood in front of her full length mirror and admired her figure. She liked her face from the ¾ angle. She raised her arms above her head, and crossed her legs, sexily. Her dress, tailored perfectly by her, hugged her in all the right ways. Well hello there, she thought to herself, pleased with what she saw in the mirror. Time to see what the fuss was about Southern men.

She had just finished doing her cat-eye eyeliner when she heard a car arrive out front. Her cab to Bon Temps was awfully early. In a hurry, she put her high heels on and grabbed her purse and jacket, before picking up the amulet from the top of her dresser and slipping it into her purse. The jewel had been shining white this whole time. She carefully walked down the stairs. Tequila really fucked with her coordination. She opened the door only to find Eric Northman wearing a black fitted suit parked out front.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello hello!
> 
> This is the beginning of the end! 4 chapters to go, but they are all pretty long. Lots to unload here: Antonia is here; coven is official; Raven is struggling with her past and present and she's about add alcohol and Eric to the mix. What could possibly go wrong?
> 
> ALSO, there is a sex scene in one of the chapters, I will give it plenty of warning beforehand. Book 2 may be rated M if you guys want it spicy, but you guys have to let me know.
> 
> If you liked it/didn't like it, review, and kudo!  
> See you guys next week, love u all and thank you for reading!


	9. Samhain Night

The most beautiful pair of legs stepped out of the black house. She was dressed like her usual self, but a sexy cheetah version, ready to slip into his bed.

"Oh I love your costume," Eric smiled, walking around the car. He was going to open the door for her, not only because he was a gentleman, but because he wanted to make sure she also looked that good from behind.

"Fuck off, Eric. I'm going to Merlotte's with my friends," Raven snapped, meeting him at the bottom of the porch steps. She squinted her eyes in anger.

"Oh, I don't think so. You do what I tell you, you work for me remember?" He cocked a brow, walking towards her. She didn't move.

"The fuck I do! I work for your boss, not you." She was feisty. He liked it.

"Well the boss wants you to come. Hurry up now, I need to go back," he drawled, opening the passenger door and motioning for her to get in. And it was true. Halloween was the biggest night of the year revenue-wise at Fangtasia, they even had to pre-sell tickets for it. He was definitely needed at the club, but Bill Compton asked him to make sure Raven was there. Bill seemed to think that he was Raven's personal chauffeur, but since she looked like that Eric didn't quite mind it.

She sighed and rolled her eyes, her shoulders slumping. He prayed that her dress strap slipped - but it didn't.

"Fine. But I'm still going to Merlotte's after," said Raven, turning around and heading back up the stairs.

"Where are you going?"

"I have to get something." She walked inside the house before Eric could chase after her. He waited by the door, annoyed he couldn't get in. This witch better not barricade herself inside, Eric was wearing an expensive suit and he was not in the mood for demolition. He watched her through the open front door curiously. She walked into the kitchen that was past the stairs at the end of the hall and he could hear her opening the fridge. He heard glass bottles rattle and she took a big swig from a small green one.

"A shot for the road?" Eric asked, leaning against the door frame.

"More like a shot to get out of Fangtasia alive," she answered, putting the bottle back, and taking another drink from another bottle.

"What, you don't trust me?"

Raven chuckled as she rejoined him outside. He stood there, eyeing her. She was so fair, like a pearl. Her cheetah tiara held her lightly curled black hair back, exposing her beautiful face completely. He must have paused for too long, because she answered after a moment.

"Oh, I thought that was a rhetorical question. No, I don't trust you whatsoever, Eric. Are you kidding me? The one time I let myself be vulnerable, I ended up shackled. Now I'm a King's pet. Bill Compton owns me," she all but spat. Raven walked past him, got in the car and closed the car door herself, showing the curves of her soft hips and perfect ass. He would bet a thousand dollars that with a dress like that, she was not wearing anything underneath. Eric already had sex today, but his cock clearly thought it wasn't enough. He got in the driver's seat right after her. He turned to her, eyeing her intensely. This grudge of hers was going to end today.

"You have a truly exquisite neck, you know? It's long, delicate and lean, and it's adorned by your perfect collarbones. But that's not my favourite part," he looked deeply at her, tracing her jaw with this fingertips; she had the softest skin. "My favourite part about it is that it holds your head in place. And I was really trying to keep it there, and I still am, I swear to you."

She didn't answer, and looked away. Eric started the car and headed to Fangtasia. They were still on the dirt road that lead to her house when she spoke again.

"What are you supposed to be anyway?" She asked, still looking out the window.

"James Bond," he answered. He always let Pam pick his costumes, and he actually liked the one she chose this year. She was dressed as a bond girl, he couldn't remember which one. But as always, she looked great. "But other than the money, I don't really care for Halloween to be honest. It's just an excuse for humans to enjoy pleasures not deemed socially acceptable 363 days of the year. Like being vulgar, one night stands, or the thrill of associating with vampires, even though they will go back to despising anyone who does this any other day of the year."

"Hear, hear!" Raven chuckled, finally looking at him. She had that carefree smile again. "But it's good to get out of our lives once in awhile. You know, when we get bored, or when we need to get away from our own pain."

He remembered all of his trips to Vermont in the past year. He wondered what kind of distraction she was. From boredom or from pain. Either way she was an absolutely delicious distraction from Sookie. Although now he just craved her. He wished he could just take her to his place and not to work. He then wondered which distraction Halloween was for her. He remembered her coven was dead, and he received his answered. This was Samhain after all.

They arrived at Fangtasia where there was a large crowd at the door. They walked past Pam, who shot Raven a disapproving look, and murmured in Old Norse that Bill wasn't here yet. Eric hoped he didn't show at all, so he would have Raven all to himself. Eric put his hand on the small of Raven's back and guided her inside. He leaned down, inhaling the fresh crisp smell of snow that left her skin. He meant to tell Raven that Bill wasn't there yet, but the woman left him and went straight to the bar. She beelined through the crowd of people that were partying inside - the place was packed full which pleased Eric very much. After sex, making money was probably his favourite hobby. He made for his chair, as usual. People moved out of his way, as if he were a shark swimming through a frenzy of fish. But once he sat down, he had eyes for one person and one person only. Her little cheetah ears peeked through the crowd around the bar. He then saw a vampire approach her. The man was a regular at Fangtasia, and he was known for not partaking in the new Tru Blood era of vampirism. He whispered something in her ear, and much to Eric's horror, she laughed. He felt uneasy watching them speak. Eric knew she couldn't be glamoured, and he also knew he couldn't harm her, as he remembered his own hand burning after he tried to grab her at Sookie's house. He also suspected she was more powerful than she let on, being over four hundred years old. But even with all that knowledge, his craving for her was all he could hear in his head. Her body was facing him, leaning forward, he was eyeing her bare collarbones. What the hell was she thinking? Before he knew it, Eric was beside her, watching the man tease her. He felt something boil inside him. The vampire made note of his presence and instantly shuddered.

"Sh-sheriff," he greeted with a stutterer.

"Scram." Eric ordered. And he did, eyes glued to his shoes. Eric took his place at the bar.

"Well aren't you real fun at parties," Raven said, unimpressed.

"I am the party, Raven." He smirked sarcastically.

Raven rolled her eyes, but her wits quickly came back when her drink arrived. It was one of those girly sugary drinks, with an umbrella in it. Eric wanted to laugh. For someone so old and fierce, she was also pretty lame. She was made of sin, but owned a fucking chicken coop. She drank the whole thing in one go through the straw, and slammed the empty cup down on the bar.

"Wanna dance?" She asked, excited. She was definitely drunk already.

"I don't dance."

"You own a club, and you don't dance?" She asked, leaning back on the bar.

"No. I pay people to do that."

She looked at the dancers, in their slutty angel and devil costumes dancing on the poles above the crowd.

"Okay, so you drag me to this party, won't let me talk to anyone and you won't dance with me. This is the worst date ever."

His eyes opened wide, incredulous. He was the one and only 1000-year-old vampire Viking: Eric Northman, Sheriff of Louisiana Area 5, he didn't do dates.

"Phillip!" He yelled down to the bartender without looking away from her. "She's cut off from the bar."

"What?!" Raven shouted when Phillip nodded.

"This is not a date. It's work."

"Oh, so I am work?" She asked.

"Yes. This is basically a vampire office Christmas party."

She looked around bored, then down at her empty cup. She moved her hair off her shoulder, exposing her neck. His fangs ached for it.

"Well, I'm going to dance," she declared, half angry.

He resumed his post on his chair, watching the people down below dance. It was an ocean of bodies, swaying around like waves below, lights dancing from the top. The whole place vibrated with techno music. All the poles had his favourite dancers to watch, but there was only person he could watch tonight. The one in the little cheetah dress. He didn't even notice Pam approach him.

"You are so predictable it hurts," she drawled.

"What, Pam?" he asked, irritated by the interruption..

"Bill is here, he needs to speak with you in private."

"I'll speak to him in my office. Keep an eye on her," he ordered.

"You are joking, right? Eric, you are not seriously putting me on pussy patrol!" Pam crossed her arms displeased as he walked away. If anything, he got to annoy Pam tonight, which is secretly liked very much.

He went up to his office where Bill was already waiting for him. He closed the door behind him muffling the sound of the party.

"Eric," Bill greeted him.

"My King."

"I have a new task for you," he began. "It seems that now we have two covens in the area. Raven's and Marnie Storybrook's. I got Marnie's covered, but despite my best efforts, my informant could not infiltrate Raven's. Since you two seem to get along, I'll need you to continue keeping tabs on her."

Finally, something fun for him to do. But then it dawned on him. Bill was going to do to him, the same thing Queen Sophie-Anne did to Bill. He wondered if Bill was going to enact his revenge in the same way: wait for them to get close, then reveal his plan to Raven, as Eric had to Sookie. Well played Bill, he thought, but you're forgetting that I don't fall in love.

"Of course," Eric agreed. "But she doesn't trust me much since I… Introduced you two."

"She's drunk downstairs, I am sure you will find a way." Bill said sarcastically, then he patted Eric on the shoulder twice. "I will speak to her before I go."

"Leaving already?"

"I just came to drop off Jessica. She's been talking about this party non-stop all week, I just want to go… Home and enjoy some quiet time."

He was going to stalk Sookie Stackhouse, hands down, guaranteed, no doubt about it. Eric returned to his throne, where Pam was nowhere to be seen. He scanned the room for Raven, it was so crowded that if the fire department showed up he would get fined for sure. Pam was supposed to be doing crowd control, or at least keeping an eye on the witch. She was clearly failing at both. He looked again for black hair and cheetah ears. He spotted Jessica Hamby dancing in the crowd, and the vampire who spoke to Raven earlier grossly making out with a blonde woman. Eric finally found her by the bar, with a different empty cup in her hand, talking to Bill Compton. What is up with the work ethic in this place? He could only see the back of her head, but judging by Bill's face, they seemed to be having a normal conversation. Bill's expressions were hard to read. Eric couldn't help but wonder what they were talking about. The music was way too loud for him to hear their conversation. They talked briefly, both got up and headed to the door. He followed them, cutting through the crowd with his mere presence. They could not be going home together, could they? He felt a tightness in his chest.

When he reached the outside, Bill's car door had just shut and they were leaving the parking lot. He looked around, through the crowd that was standing in the dark parking lot. He found Raven a few feet away, standing alone on the sidewalk looking down the street. He rushed to her.

"What are you doing?"

"Hailing a cab, I'm going to Merlotte's," she answered, ignoring him in favour of focusing on the incoming traffic.

He didn't want her to leave. And not because Bill said so.

"You can't leave yet."

"Hmm yeah I can, Santa Claus has left the office Christmas party." That was an odd sentence, but it was his metaphor.

"Well, I'm not done with you." Eric couldn't explain it, but he just wasn't ready to let her go.

"Oh really?" She stepped closer, looking up at him boldly. "I only came here to speak with Bill, and you haven't exactly been entertaining, Eric."

That was not something he had ever heard from a woman. She had just eyed a cab and was about to hail it, when he slipped his hands around her waist, pulled her in and kissed her.

* * *

If anyone had told her a year ago, that she would be spending Halloween at a vampire club in Louisiana on this evening, she would have thought they were absolutely delirious. But here she was, dancing her drunken heart away with the repetitive beat of techno music. She hadn't explored the genre much yet, but she decided she kinda liked it. Most of them had no lyrics, which was odd. It was just electronic sounds over a very loud, deep, bass beat. Music had gotten really weird, but then again, so had everything else. She could feel the music physically, echoing in her body. The room spun with the lights, and the crowd all grinded on each other. In a normal club, the air would be ridiculously hot and sweaty, but since half the people here were already dead, it felt pleasant. Her body was loose and she danced with a drunk energy. It didn't take a whole lot for her to get drunk, but it did take a lot for her to stay drunk. Witch's metabolism and all. Since Eric had cut her off, this nice, free feeling was not going to last, so she had to enjoy it while she could. This was a weird pre-game party, and she wished she had her friends with her. Halloween didn't have to be a sad day for her to drown her sorrows anymore. She could make a new tradition with her new coven. This was just a weird beginning to the night, but she was going to make the best of it before Bill showed. Then it would be off to Merlotte's, country music and tequila.

She also wished Eric didn't have a stick up his ass on this fine evening. Maybe because he lived like this all the time, it had lost it appeal. She accepted that even though he screwed her over, maybe that was the only way out for both of them that he could pull off. Bill did send him to hunt witches after all. He chose not not kill Marnie and her coven, he gave them an out. He could also have killed Raven in the woods by Sookie's house, but he didn't. He convinced the King to let her live. Speak of the devil, she noticed Bill Compton come down the back stairs, with Eric in tow. Finally. She was going to talk to the King, then she would be off to Merlotte's to party with her friends. She didn't move all this way to spend Samhain with vampires. She wanted her coven. She quickly zig-zagged through the crowd, a little voice in her head screaming that she was going to be eaten alive, she was in a mosh pit of vampires for fuck sakes. But she knew no one could harm her, not only because Eric and Bill were here and they had an investment to protect, but she also had taken more of her vampire repellent and the strength potions. Merlotte's was the light at the end of this fucking dead body tunnel. She cut through the crowd and intercepted Bill Compton at the bar. He was already waiting for her, standing by the bar with a drink in his hand. He was wearing dark jeans, a black shirt and a blazer. He was hot, but more like in a hot dad kind of way. She stood in front of him, and he handed her the drink. Gin and tonic - also a dad drink.

"Enjoying yourself this evening?" Asked Bill. She wasn't one for much small talk, so she just chugged the whole drink.

"Sure." She shot him a fake a smile. Raven put her back to Eric's stage, she wanted him out of this.

"Marnie is practicing magic again, in a new coven," Bill began.

"I know. I have taken precautions." God she sounded exactly like him. "I have my eye on her."

"Good." He gave her a shy smile, with tight lips. "Glad to see you are proactive."

"Yeah, I can't say the same," Raven said. "I told you your spy was going to die and you sent her anyway. Is this how you treat all your employees? I ask out of, you know, self-interest."

His smile did not fade. He was a good actor.

"Just those who are expendable."

If Raven needed a reminder that vampires were cruel creatures, this was it.

"Like Eric?" She confronted him. "When you sent him alone against a coven of some actually pretty power people?"

He glanced over at Eric sitting on his throne. She wondered what happened between the two.

"Eric was in no danger. Marnie Storybrook is harmless."

The fuck she is. Raven pondered if she should tell him that his worst nightmare Antonia Gavilán had recently been in town. That would get Marnie killed faster than Raven could finish a drink.

"Have a good night, Raven." Bill nodded, turned around and left.

Vampires were really good at dodging her questions, as it turns out. But the way he treated Eric stirred something in her. Eric seemed so loyal to him, why would he want to get rid of him? Why was Eric loyal to this asshole to begin with? As she watched Bill walk away, she followed. She was done with this place, it was time to get her Halloween started.

She felt relief as she stepped out of the loud club. The fresh autumn air felt really good on her skin. She watched Bill get in the back of a large bulletproof SUV and drive away. There was still a large crowd outside the club waiting to get in. Eric was not joking; this was his biggest night of the year. She walked towards the street, looking for a cab. There wasn't much street traffic in Shreveport this late at night. She quickly checked her purse for her phone, to let her friends know she was on her way. The amulet was still in her purse, the jewel still shining transparent, unchanged. She was mid-text when a tall figure appeared right next to her, wearing a fitted suit. Eric looked extra hot in it. He could easily be a male model.

"What are you doing?" He asked with a serious voice.

"Getting a cab. I'm going to Merlotte's," Raven answered. Definitely not fucking you. Definitely not that, she thought.

"You can't leave yet,"

"Hmm yeah I can, Santa Claus has left the office Christmas party," she told him, annoyed. Had he been a little nicer, maybe she would have stayed.

"Well, I'm not done with you."

"Oh really?" Raven turned to him, eyeing his figure. It was impressive how easily he got on her nerves. "I only came here to talk to Bill, and you haven't exactly been entertaining, Eric."

He looked surprised. She had caught him off guard. Raven was a bit curious to figure out the hot puzzle that was Eric Northman, but not tonight. She was getting cold and sober, and she had friends waiting. She saw an old van with a cab sign coming up the block. She raised an arm to get the driver's attention, when her body was embraced by Eric's strong arms. She felt the hardness of his body against hers as his soft lips kiss hers.

It was even better than she remembered. It was the kind of kiss that melted you. The kind of kiss that made her skin awaken to his touch. She felt his arms hold her tighter, and her feet lifted off the floor. He kissed her deeply, his tongue dancing with her own. She wanted him, and it wasn't just because of the alcohol. She'd wanted him since she first saw Eric Northman on her porch. She wanted him when he sat on her window sill. She needed him when he jumped into the lake after her. She didn't let herself admit it, but she knew. Kissing him was like no other kiss she had ever experienced. Even the city sounds were quieter. She pulled away for air, and to look at his blue eyes up close, but she realized why the city sounded so far away - it was. She screamed. She grabbed his neck and shoulders like her life depended on it, because it did. They were flying high off the ground above Fangtasia, in the middle of the dark, cloudy sky. The ground was a grid of lights, everything was so small. She felt the butterflies in her stomach turn into terrified birds, scratching her insides.

"Scared of heights?" He asked, smiling.

"You could say that!" The more she looked down, the dizzier she got. She cursed under her breath, looking back up at him. Eric was at ease, smiling like a little boy on Christmas morning.

"I have an idea." He leaned forward and he flew away carrying her, wind passing through her ears. She closed her eyes tight; it was better that she didn't look down. She breathed deeply, and focused on holding him. She hated flying. But she wasn't as scared as she thought she would be with him carrying her. It was a weird feeling, trusting him when she knew she shouldn't. Witches and vampires hated each other. She knew to be wary of them. And yet...

Raven felt the air slow down, and they were descending. She opened her eyes, and they were right beside a brick building that was turned into luxury lofts from what she could see through the large windows.

"Open the latch," Eric told her.

"What?"

"Unless you want me to hold you with one arm, open the latch."

"What? No! I'm not breaking and entering, are you crazy?"

"It's my apartment, you dummy."

"Oh..." she muttered embarrassed. She reached down and pulled the window up. He sat her on the window sill, where she ducked her head and stepped inside. "Satan, what's wrong with the front door?"

She looked around the open concept apartment. It was a mix of industrial and minimalist, very clean and sleek, but also kind of empty. It was very unlike her house. The bedroom, living room and kitchen were all in the same large room. His bed was huge, covered in pelts, and black silk pillows. There was a skull with antlers hanging above the bed. She walked away from the bed, intentionally, and towards the living room. She also kicked off her heels, which were frankly killing her slowly. The ceiling was at least 14 feet high, and the outside walls had exposed brick. The large couch was a dark taupe suede and it faced a large black mirror hanging on the wall, and a console table. On it was what she recognized to be a sound system, due to the large amps sitting on the floor. She ran her fingers across the device looking for the power button. Suddenly it turned itself on, she peeked behind her and Eric was sitting on the couch holding a remote control. When she turned back, the black mirror had turned into a huge screen. He seemed to be browsing through music.

"Holy shit, that's a TV?!" Raven was shocked. She needed to upgrade her shit.

Eric laughed quietly, and hit the play button. Smooth and sexy reggae filled the room. She hadn't heard the song in a long time, but the voice was unmistakable. It was impossible not to dance to this song.

"Dawn Penn? So the vampire does have a fine musical taste." Eric smiled, watching her dance. "Why don't you play this at Fangtasia?"

"This song was recorded in 1967, but only became popular in the early 90s. Mortals are obsessed with the 'new'. Newest cars, newest clothes, newest music. They don't really appreciate what's good anymore, just what's new. In fact, it was hard enough not playing country. But Pam and I both refuse to listen to that garbage."

She guessed he wasn't referring to the likes of Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, and the Carter Family. Raven hadn't dived much into music this decade, so who knows what country had turned into. She danced some more, eyeing the room. There were two large shelves filled with DVD cases. She rushed to them, curious. He had a bit of everything; horror, action, western, classic, romance, experimental, historical fiction, spanning from every decade that movies were made, and upon further inspection of titles she was pretty sure some of it was porn.

"That's an impressive collection." She eyed him.

"Before Fangtasia I used to own a movie rental store," Eric explained. He grew more interesting by the second. Hotter too.

She danced to the rolling beat of the song, making her way around the couch again, and closer to Eric, who watched her every move. He was looking at her, both hungry and amused. Raven liked the way Eric looked at her. With desire. Not fucking is going to be harder than I thought, she realized.

She was standing between his legs, looking down at him. He was so tall, that even sitting down he could face her chest. He unbuttoned his blazer and threw it off to the side. Raven took off her cross body bag and dropped it on the floor. Next he unbuttoned his shirt, and it quickly followed. There was something so sexy about a man undressing. Especially Eric Northam.

His hands wandered to the back of her thighs, caressing upwards. His expression suddenly changed and he looked away. She stopped moving and rested her hands on his shoulders.

"I have to tell you something," she heard him say. Her heart dropped. Good things usually didn't follow those words. "I'm not going to repeat Bill's mistake with Sookie, I have to tell you the truth."

What did Bill and Sookie have to do with this?

"Tonight Bill Compton ordered me to watch you, since he failed in infiltrating your coven," Eric confessed, watching her for a reaction.

Raven chuckled.

"So he told you to do something you've already been doing?"

He gave a relieved smile. So it was him who wandered outside her house in the dark.

"You creep," she joked.

He tossed her to the side and she landed on the soft couch. He was ready to crawl on top of her, and take her.

"You intrigue me, that's all." his voice was a smooth deep whisper.

"What happened between you, Sookie and Bill?" She asked, propping herself up on her elbows. Sex wasn't gonna happen. Not until she got some answers first, anyway.

He glanced at the clock and then looked back at her.

"There are only 3 hours to sunrise, and that's not nearly enough time to explain." He tried to lean down towards her, but Raven stopped him by raising a finger.

"We are not fucking, so you might as well tell me," she said.

Eric rolled his eyes, disappointed, and sat back down on the couch. Raven's naked legs were still on his lap, his hands touching her thighs. He explained that Queen Sophie-Anne, the ruler of Louisiana before Bill, sent Bill on a faery hunt since he was such a successful procurer. That was close to a witch tracker, but Bill actually brought whoever or whatever his clients looked for. Bill found Sookie Stackhouse, and in order to find out if she had any other fae relatives, he deceived her into falling in love with him. After a lot of shit happened in the past two years, including many deaths and near-deaths, Eric took an interest in Sookie and told her the truth about Bill. She was heartbroken and pissed off at both of them and ran off, that's when Eric went out looking for Sookie. Queen Sophie-Anne was killed, and now Bill was the King. And he very much blamed Eric for their ruined relationship, as Bill also fell in love with Sookie in the process. So, he'd been trying to get rid of Pam and Eric ever since, sending him on risky missions, or doing shady deals in the hopes that Eric would either turn against him, or defy his authority so he would have an excuse to finally execute Eric.

"So you have to do everything Bill Compton tells you?" Raven asked.

"Pretty much." Eric was playing with the hem of her dress, quietly pushing it up.

"Why don't you just quit being Sheriff?"

He laughed, but she could see there was a sadness behind it.

"It's not a position you quit or retire from. You either die or become King."

"Why not become King yourself? You're much older than Bill, you can certainly take him out."

He shook his head, and slipped one hand between her thighs, his thumb getting close to a place that longed for him. Eric was toeing a dangerous line here.

"I hate politics. I would be much more miserable as King. Being Sheriff is punishment enough."

She was about to ask what the punishment was for, when her purse started buzzing; her cell phone was vibrating. The inside of her bag was illuminated by text messages from Lafayette and Holly, but that wasn't what gave her chills.

The amulet's jewel had turned into a jet black stone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello fellow readers!
> 
> So glad to see everyone still enjoying the story! I hope you had as much fun reading this chapter as I had writing it! Tons of Eric and Raven this time, and next Chapter is another fun and super long one, so get your snacks before you proceed! Tell me what you think in the reviews!
> 
> See you all next week, xoxo
> 
> PS: The song mentioned is You Don't Love Me by Dawn Penn, in case you're interested.


	10. Samhain Day

"God fucking dammit!" Raven stood up quickly, shaky hands holding the amulet. Eric looked puzzled.

"What's wrong?"

"Marnie Storybrook broke our contract, She's going to-" Oh God, Raven thought in horror. "She's going to make all vampires walk in the sun!"

"So she is a necromancer?" Eric whispered, getting up, eyes wide.

"She isn't, but the spirit she possessed herself with is. I have to stop her!"

"I'm coming with you."

As if reading her mind, both their heads turned to the clock on the kitchen wall. There were 30 minutes until sunrise. Where did the time go?

"There's not enough time for you to come along, I have to go alone. Eric, I have to restrain you. The spell will take over your mind and force you to go outside."

He had a dark look on his face.

"Pam." He muttered, "I have to warn her."

"Do that, and I'll call Bill."

Eric made his way to his other bedroom, if the coffin inside was anything to go by. Raven called Bill, who took a while to answer. She told him about Marnie, Antonia and their plan. After asking ten times if she was sure, he agreed to send a mass call to all vampires within a 30 mile radius to restrain themselves with silver. Raven couldn't tell if Bill was angry or not. Or if there would be retaliation, she wasn't sure. She had to stop Marnie at all costs and hope not to find out.

As soon as she hung up on Bill Compton, she followed Eric into his room. It was a large walk in closet, with no windows, shelves of neatly folded and hung clothes, and a black shiny coffin right in the middle. He opened a large wooden chest that sat on the floor in the corner. It was filled with silver chains, knives, and shackles. Eric opened the coffin, and lay against its pale gold velvet. He looked at Raven with a frown. She knew what she had to do.

"I'm so sorry," she said, holding the chains over the coffin.

"Do it quick," he ordered.

She laid the chains across his bare chest, the silver sizzled his skin instantly. He grunt in pain, fangs out.

"More." He demanded, gaze locked on the ceiling and teeth clenched.

She laid more chains on his neck, arms, wrists. She rolled his pants up to his knees and laid more silver across his shins. Steam wafted from his bloody wounds, the room smelled like burnt flesh. A smell all too familiar to her. He moaned and gritted his teeth in pain, looking straight at the ceiling, avoiding her eyes altogether. Her heart was beating out of her chest. This was all her fault. Had she stopped Marnie the day she refused to join her coven, like Elijah had told her to do, none of this would be happening.

"Eric, I'm so very sorry."

"Don't be. I should have killed her that night, but I gave her an out. This is all my fault."

Raven frowned, feeling tears prick at her eyes. How could he think this was his fault?

"Eric, I-"

"You have to stop her. You have to save Pam, Raven," Eric begged. She nodded. "Close the coffin and lock it," He ordered. It hurt her to see him like this. His blood oozed from between the chains. She could see his muscle peaking through the chains that had eaten away the skin. "Do it!" He roared.

Raven slammed the lid shut, and locked it. His muffled breath and cries of pain still escaped the black box. She now had to come up with a plan. She knew where Marnie was, and now she had to stop her. She remembered the warning she gave Marnie. I will take you apart. She ran back to the chest, and picked a silver dagger. She was going to fulfill her promise.

Raven looked through Eric's things hoping to find car keys. She hoped Eric wouldn't mind her borrowing his car, but it was kind of an emergency. She looked all through the living room. When she passed by the mirror in the bedroom, she saw how much of a mess she looked: mascara flaking, lipstick faded in the middle, hair frizzy. She quickly rubbed under her eyes, and smeared the rest of the lipstick off on the sleeve of her leather jacket. She tossed the cheetah headband on the bed, and ripped the plushy tail off her costume. If she was about to kill another witch, she was going to look as honourable…As she could.

Raven was going to kill another witch. She got caught in this whirlwind and somehow she ended up here. She took a moment to close her eyes and pray. She prayed to Lilith and the angel Lucifer - mother and father to all witches and wizards. She asked for guidance and strength. She also asked for forgiveness - from Eric, but also from her father, for some reason. As soon she was done and opened her eyes, she saw the silver shimmer of car keys hanging on the wall by the front door. She rushed to the door and grabbed the keys, along with a pair of women's black fuzzy slippers that were sitting on the floor. She had no idea whose they were, but they were better than the death-trap high heels she wore. She quickly left the apartment and headed to the parking garage. She checked her phone for all the missed texts she had. They were from Jesus, Holly and Lafayette, asking where the hell she was. As she scrolled through the messages, they got increasingly less legible. It was clear they got drunk last night, and probably had a great time, but now they were probably passed out or too hungover to help. She left them voicemails explaining what happened. But she was on her own.

"I got this," she reassured herself.

When the elevator doors opened, a woman was waiting outside with her young son who was probably around the age of 12 and wearing a soccer outfit. The woman looked at Raven's slutty outfit from head to toe and loudly scoffed, putting herself between her son and Raven. Well this got awkward. Raven didn't care that she looked like she was leaving a Halloween hook up. Having sex was nothing to be ashamed of, everyone did it, everyone liked it, the survival of the human race depended on it, so why shame it? So much time had passed since Church ruled society completely, but it's like it never really went away.

Then again, it was like Emilia always told her. The reason people are bothered by others having sex, is because they ain't getting any themselves.

When the elevator reached the parking garage, Raven hopped out at once. She looked around the sterile lot, she had no idea what car she was looking for. The car keys had an Audi logo, and a horn button. She pressed it, and a car beeped right behind her. It was another flashy sports car, bright blood red.

She added Moon Goddess Empire into the GPS and drove off. The day was shaping up to be another shiny cloudless day. Shreveport was a large city, and she grew more nervous to reach her destination with each block she drove by. Raven mulled over how mad she was that Marnie couldn't just step in line. How hard was it to not summon an angry necromancer spirit in a town crawling with powerful vampires? If Agatha was there she would have whooped her ass straight for possession alone. Who in their right mind would let such a vile force take over their body? Raven recognized this part of town, she was getting close. The streets were empty. No cars, no people, for many blocks. Everything was closed. It was early, only 8:30 in the morning, but the place was too deserted. This had a magic spell written all over it. She never read about such magic, which brought out a heavy pit in her stomach. Something told her that just walking in and stabbing Marnie wouldn't be so easy. She was about to stab a fellow witch to death. How did things get to this point?

She parked 2 blocks away, to not give away her presence. Quietly, Raven walked around to the back of the store, through a modest brick alley. She tried the backdoor, but it was locked. She did a quick unlocking spell, and slipped inside quietly. She walked slowly between the shelves and inventory boxes listening for any sign of movement, but she couldn't hear a soul. Was Marnie even here?

She felt sick with anxiety, her hand holding the knife tight, heart beating in her ears. In order to take Marnie apart and make her powerless she would have to stab her right in the gut, and draw an ancient rune with Marnie's blood on her body. Then she'd have to ingest Marnie's blood while reciting the proper spell. Only then would Raven heal her wound. Maybe.

Raven would also have to confront Antonia. Today being Samhain and the veil between the realms being the thinnest, Marnie probably summoned her quite easily. She was either possessed, or tethered her spirit to her body - which was against the rules of the natural world. What other powers could Antonia have? Raven eyed a box of Himalayan pink salt on the shelf she was leaning against. A salt circle could maybe trap Antonia, maybe long enough for her to take Marnie apart.

She tried to peek into the large room. The lights were off, and she could see the room was lit by candle light. The back of the store didn't have a lot of windows and the curtains were drawn in, so it was pretty dark. Raven could see Marnie sitting on the floor, legs crossed, eyes closed, murmuring something. This was her one shot. Raven quickly stepped into the room but before she could react, something hit the back of her head, and she plunged into darkness.

* * *

The ceiling was blurry, and the back of her head pulsated like it had its own heartbeat. Raven's body ached all over. There was cold metal on her neck. She tried to touch the back of her head to feel for any blood, but her wrists were tied. As were her ankles. It took her a moment to remember what had happened. She sneaked in Moon Goddess Empire to stop Marnie from killing all vampires in the area, but something took her out. She guessed the metal on her neck was an iron collar. Oh fuck, not this again. There had to be a fucking counter-spell for this nonsense. Four hundred and fifty years old and she still got trapped by this looney toons level of restraint. She now laid on the floor in the middle of the room, surrounded by candles. And what sounded like people. She heard voices and could see shadows move in the room, her vision coming back slowly.

"Oh my God! She's awake! Raven, can you hear me?" She heard a woman cry. Was that-

"Holly?" She asked, her eyes finally focusing. "What happened?"

"Marnie summoned us here, and forced us to do the vampire controlling spell! Jesus and Lafayette tried to rescue us, but now they're trapped in here too. Marnie put a magic wall around the place and won't let us leave!"

She could finally see: they were all here - Holly, Lafayette, Jesus, Tara, the people she saw the last time she astral-projected. They had dark, scared expressions on their faces. Three of them had injured hands. How long was she out? Were all vampires dead? Was the sun still up? She couldn't see the outside from where she was laying on the floor. The thought of Eric being dead petrified her. She noticed two strangers in the room, dressed in formal black clothes, standing by the door and not engaging with anyone.

"How long was I out?" Raven panicked.

"I knew you would come," a voice called out before Holly could answer. "I found your hex, you know." Marnie was holding a couple of old books, and more candles. She knelt beside Raven, and lit more candles near her hips.

"Marnie you have to stop!" Raven commanded. Much to her relief, people around the room agreed with her. Was she holding all these people hostage?

"Why are you so hell-bent in protecting them?!" Marnie yelled angrily.

"Who? Vampires? Oh, I don't know, maybe because we are fucking outnumbered, out-powered and outgunned?"

"Outgunned?" Marnie repeated. "Who needs guns when you have magic?"

Was this woman delusional? Did she really think they could out-magic automatic weapons? Raven eyed Holly and then glanced at her tied hands. Holly gently shook her head and looked at the man and woman standing guard by the door. She mouthed vampires. They had expressionless faces, were standing stiff, and staring off distantly. Marnie did it. She was a vampire-controlling necromancer.

"Last time we spoke you threatened me with something." Marnie continued. "I'm not going to lie, I had to look that up." She stepped into the circle of candles that Raven was laying in, and opened an old book. She knelt beside her and read it out loud "Taking someone apart," Raven's blood went cold. "To take a witch or warlock apart is to separate the magic from the body. A dark ritual -"

"Marnie, don't you dare hurt her!" Jesus shouted. He knew what the ritual meant.

"You shut your mouth, you-" Marnie thundered.

"I know what it means." Raven cut Marnie off before she could speak, frowning in anger. "Didn't you tell me you had powers? That you didn't need me or my help?" She yelled.

"I have power!" Marnie roared, revealing a silver dagger and squeezing it tightly in her fist. "I made the night beasts meet their end! I have risked my soul for all of you! Even for you three, who betrayed me!" She waved the knife around and shot a cold look at Jesus, Holly and Lafayette. That sentence must have tasted awful in her mouth, by the look of disgust on her face.

"Marnie this isn't you!" Jesus cried. "Stop this madness!"

"Madness?" Marnie shrieked. "Bending over to vampires and their rules is madness! You are starting to sound like her! Maybe I should take you all apart! Your magic will be put to better uses in my hands."

Raven didn't even have time to react to Marnie's worst threat yet. Suddenly the doors out front busted open, and a short tanned blonde came running in from the store front. Sookie Stackhouse entered the room and took in the scene, horrified.

"How did you get in here?" Asked Marnie, getting up.

"They are coming! Bill and Eric are coming to blow up this place, you all have to get out of here!"

Everyone screamed, panicked. Three people ran for the door, but burnt their hands the second they touched the knob. Screams grew louder. Suddenly the room felt very small.

"We won't say anything to anybody, we promise!" A woman from the group cried. "Just let us go!"

"No!" Marnie screamed. "We stay together."

Marnie dropped to her knees again, holding the dagger above Raven's chest. She was going to take her powers away, it would probably kill her depending on how Marnie did the ritual. If the ropes and collar were any indication of her intentions, Raven was fucking toast. Marnie was going to harvest enough power to do whatever magic she wished, without Antonia's Samhain day help. A full blown necromancer would walk the earth again, in the middle of the vampire age. It was going to be a bloodbath. It was going to be like the witch hunts all over again.

"Yeah, there's no chance in hell that is happening. Do you really think you can pull this off? Marnie, vampires will take you out, even if you have my powers."

"Not if my plan worked. We made all of them walk in the sun today! It was glorious!"

"Is that what she told you?" Raven scoffed. "Marnie, the spell only reaches about a 20 mile radius. Maybe 30. And if it had worked you wouldn't have a thousand year old vampire Sheriff and a vampire King at your door step right now! Even if you did this magic again tomorrow and manage to kill all vampires in Shreveport, more will come for you! For you, your family, your friends, everyone in this room and anyone who even knows that it happened!"

Marnie frowned and went slightly pale, her eyes looked confused. Her hands were trembling midair. No one in the room dared to move.

"Yeah, Antonia didn't tell you that part, did she?" Raven continued, angrily. "When Antonia pulled her little stunt in 1610, vampires massacred everyone who witnessed them walk in the sun, the spell that she did, the witches who helped her and everyone who watched her burn at the pyre that day. There's a reason why no one has heard of it. She started a war, Marnie! One you can't finish."

Marnie looked away, eyes glistening with rage.

"I must do…whatever it takes," she groaned.

Her back suddenly arched, like she was going to puke. She dropped the knife which slid too far for Raven to reach. She stood up quickly and hugged her own torso, thrashing her shoulders. People in the room gasped in horror. Thick black smoke left Marnie's mouth. A short brunette woman with messy curly hair, wearing a long and dirty linen gown appeared in front of her.

"I am leaving you!" Yelled the woman in the gown. She had a thick spanish accent. Antonia, Raven thought.

"What do you mean?" Asked Marnie, gasping for air. "We haven't finished our work! We've barely begun!"

People around the room murmured, confused. No one but Raven and Lafayette could see Antonia standing there, let alone hear her.

"I won't help you anymore. Not like this! You are willing to kill another witch? How are you better than our enemies?" She cried

Finally someone with some sense. Marnie seemed to listen to Antonia, hopefully the spirit could convince her to stop this madness.

"Of course we are!" Marnie said.

"This is not who I am!" Antonia growled. "I only turned to necromancy to control death so I could save the people from my village from fever. I was a healer, I saved lives! I am not going to help you kill this innocent woman. Or any other person in this room."

"But she's not innocent! She's a sympathizer!" Marnie looked at Raven with rage. "She is working for them!"

The people around the room gasped and shot Raven looks.

"I struck a peace deal with the vampire King to save your asses, as I told all of you I was going to!"

"So it's not true that you are working for the vampire King?" Marnie asked with a devious smile on her face.

"In order to keep you alive!" Raven shot back. Marnie scoffed.

"Well your King sent vampires to kill me last night!" She screamed. Oh, that can't be good. That was probably how Bill's iron collar ended up in her hands. "That's how I got those two." Marnie nodded at the man and woman standing by the door. "I will not let any vampire or even Raven tell me what magic and I can or cannot do! I'm tired of being people bullying me, treating me like a pariah! Or like a fucking doormat! No one will persecute me-"

"Persecute you?" Raven barked. "Oh, that's fucking rich."

Raven had officially had enough of Marnie's little power trip. She rubbed her wrists, trying to break free. The knots were tied firmly, even the strength potion she took last night couldn't tear them. The blow to her head made her dizzy and her body struggled, but she tried to focus anyway.

"What about the rest of them?" Antonia asked. "They are innocent, Marnie."

"I am trying to protect them, Antonia!" Marnie explained. "I am trying to save them. But in war…there are casualties. You didn't think otherwise, did you?"

Antonia looked awfully quiet. Raven most certainly did not sign up to be a casualty of war when she agreed to join a coven. If only Elijah were here to watch this shit-storm unfold. Antonia nodded in agreement. She walked back into Marnie's body, who took her in gladly. She walked back to get the knife, but Jesus launched himself in front of her.

"Marnie. You are one of the kindest people I know, now you're about to kill a woman?"

"Get out of my way and perhaps I'll reconsider not taking you too," she warned.

"No." Jesus stood tall.

"Dea coerceat inimicos meos," said Marnie.

Everyone shot away from Marnie and remained glued to the walls. Raven's body felt heavy like lead, she couldn't move an inch. People moaned and gasped in fright. Her heart was beating a thousand miles a minute. Her mind went absolutely blank. She was yet again, powerless. Marnie knelt beside her, and she started the ritual. Both her hands were holding the shiny silver blade. Raven recognized it was Eric's knife, the one she brought to kill Marnie with and now she was going to be taken apart by it.

"You are a fucking coward Marnie Storybrook," Raven said. "To take me apart while wearing an iron collar? You have absolutely no honour, it's despicable."

"You lay with vampires, don't you talk to me about honour."

Before Raven could say anything else Marnie ran the sharp cold knife right below her left collarbone, splitting her skin wide open to let blood gush down her shoulders. Raven screamed, the cut was deep. The people around the room looked away in agony, Sookie and Holly screamed for Marnie to stop, with no avail.

"Mater noctu dimittere venenatis a corpore,"

Marnie dug her finger in the cut, Raven's whole body shook in pain, she screamed again. With her blood, Marnie drew runes across her chest.

"Sit magia quod melius serve vobis-"

Suddenly there were voices yelling outside. They were calling for Sookie.

"That's Bill!" Sookie roared.

Raven wasn't sure if that was such a good thing. If she escaped Marnie, she certainly wouldn't escape him. She hoped Eric was out there, or at least alive. Marnie commanded the two vampires to run outside, and they obeyed without hesitation. She murmured another spell as they walked out the door before focusing back on Raven. She continued the spell, getting close to the stabbing part, and Raven could barely breathe.

"Marnie, they are already here! They are going to kill all of us if you don't stop them!" Raven warned.

"I put a sun wall around the place, they can't get in," she explained.

"So you will starve to death then? How long do you think you can hold this up? How long will it take until the vampires go for your families? Lafayette's mom? Sookie's brother? Holly's kids?"

The whole room went quiet, but for a few cries. Marnie still held the silver dagger covered in Raven's blood. She seemed to hesitate. Maybe her humanity wasn't entirely gone yet.

"Talk to him Marnie! He will listen to you!" Cried Sookie "No one needs to get hurt!"

She could see Marnie thinking her plan over. The whole room was quiet for a moment. Her lips were closed tight and their eyes were locked. This was the most intense game of chicken ever played.

"Okay," she finally said, and Raven could finally breathe again. "You two, come with me. Vampires seem to like you." Marnie cut the ropes around Raven's ankles and motioned for the gravity spell to cease, releasing everyone. "No funny business or I'll cut your throat," she threatened Raven, pressing the bloody dagger right into her cheek.

It felt like an elephant climbed off of her chest and she could breathe fully and move again. She got up, the cut on her skin still felt like it was sizzling, warm blood still spilling down her front. Marnie led them through the store and out the front door. It was dark out, and the street was just as deserted as it was that morning. Standing ten feet away from the curb were Eric, Pam, Bill, a young redheaded woman and a blonde man, all wearing black SWAT-esque gear. They were all holding some pretty large intimidating assault rifles. In the middle of the street were two puddles of red goo. Marnie's vampire zombies were dead. Between them was a very thin golden curtain that reached all the way up to the sky. It was barely there, but Raven could see the shimmer sparkle and dance midair, almost like a golden aurora borealis. Raven had read about this spell - Sol Murum, in book on Sun Magic. It made sense the magic wall was effective against vampires.

"Bill! Eric!" Sookie cried.

"Sookie!" Bill yelled back.

Raven found Eric's blue eyes, but he said nothing. He had an intense look on his face. Half anger, half fear. Even amidst all the chaos, she was so relieved to see him she couldn't look away.

"Marnie wants to negotiate," Sookie said.

"Marnie Storybrook, let them go," Bill ordered.

"Oh, so that's what you want?"

"Let them go!" Eric yelled in a very deep, guttural voice.

"Fine. I'll let them go," Marnie said. "I will release Sookie and Raven, for one life each. A life for a life, if you can even call it that."

"You can't be serious." Pam laughed.

"Kill yourselves, and they walk free."

"Come on!" Cried Sookied. "Make them a real offer. I know them, they are good guys-"

"I accept." Bill interrupted.

"Fine." Eric followed, breaking eye contact with Raven.

"What?!" Yelled the redhead and Pam in unison.

That hurt way more than the cut on Raven's chest.

"No! No!" Sookie screamed in anger.

Raven could not make a sound. This could not be happening again. It felt all too familiar. No one else was going to die for her. Sookie started crying. Pam cursed loudly, the redheaded cried out for Bill, hugging him. Raven had to do something.

"Marnie this is a stupid plan. I have a better one," Raven stated. Marnie cocked an eyebrow. "This only gets rid of two of them, there are another two left. Antonia's way only gets rid of vampires during the day, and clearly it's not effective. But there is another way, another much more powerful way."

Marnie turned to Raven, her dark eyes twinkled. Power had corrupted her with greed. Any promise of more power and Raven guessed she would eat it up.

"Instead of taking me apart, take Sookie."

Sookie's eyes widened in fear and she took two steps back. Marnie looked confused.

"What does that even mean?" Asked the blonde man.

"Nothing good." Eric declared.

"Raven, what are you doing?" Barked Bill, fangs out.

"Sookie?" Marnie eyed the short blonde. "Why Sookie?"

"Do you know what she is? She is a faerie." Raven spoke in a seductive whisper, getting closer to Marnie. She could see Bill and Eric panic at this word. "That's why she was able to go through your light wall. She has unlimited sun power. She can zap all vampires with the snap of a finger! Take her light and you will be the ultimate weapon against vampires. Nothing and no one will be able to stop you."

"No!" Sookie screamed. "Bill, help me!"

"Raven I swear to God, I will take you apart limb by limb myself and it will be so much worse than you can ever imagine!" Bill barked again.

Marnie looked at Sookie like she was delicious succulent piece of steak. Raven couldn't even make eye contact with Bill and Eric. This was one hell of a Hail Mary.

"I can teach you how! If you are going to take the vampires out, you have to take all of them out. The only way is with unlimited sun power." Raven whispered in Marnie's ear. "Hold her hand, and repeat after me."

Marnie lunged at Sookie, grabbing her tiny wrist, Sookie screamed again trying to pull away.

"Parva fae, parva fae!" Raven spoke clearly.

Raven wasn't sure of what was about to happen. All she knew was the Fae Treaty Decree of 1359 A.C forbid faes of reading a witch's mind and also forbid witches from stealing a Fae's light. And this decree was spell law bound - it happened automatically, like when Sookie tried to read Raven's mind. She had no idea what - if anything - was going to happen to Marnie, but she repeated the words eagerly. Sookie tried to push Marnie back in terror.

"Lux mea est, te potentia mea!" Raven said, taking a few steps back.

Marnie yelled the words with gusto. Her thirst for power was actually terrifying to watch.

"Keep saying it!" Raven encouraged her. She took more steps back.

Sookie hands started glowing, like she was holding a bright yellow floodlight. Marnie's words turned into the most horrific guttural scream, a sound Raven have never heard another human make. She refused to let Sookie's wrist go, both of them being engulfed in the bright yellow light.

"Sookie!" Bill screamed. "Raven! Stop her!"

But she couldn't. She just had to stand there and wait for whatever was about to happen, to happen. Something had to happen! Sookie was still sobbing, so scared it was torturous to listen to. Eric stood there, emotionless, eyes glued to Sookie's light that lit the entire street.

Marnie finally succumbed, dropping to her knees. Sookie stepped back, breaking free from her grip. Raven stepped closer, to examine what the Treaty law spell did. Marnie dropped the dagger, which Raven lunged at. She grabbed it and cut her ropes off.

"Marnie?" Raven called, walking around to see Marnie's face.

What she saw shocked her. On Marnie's face there were two black holes where eyes were supposed to be. They had been completely burnt out, blood was dripping down her cheeks from her wounds, crimson tears marking her face. Marnie's mouth was open, and even with no eyes, her face was in agony. It was deeply disturbing. Raven knelt in front of her and looked at Marnie's hands. They were black, burnt and torn from holding onto Sookie for far too long. How could she not let go? How could a person want power so much that they would allow this to happen? Raven gently wiped off her own blood off Marnie's chest, ending the ritual. All she could smell was the roasted flesh - a smell that brought back dark memories. Marnie quietly gagged, blood tears still oozing out of the holes where her eyes used to be, gently weeping, helpless. Raven couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

"Marnie Storybrook," Raven repeated her name firmly. "For breaking the Witch Union Decree of 2010 B.C, rule number 2 of the Witch Rule Book, this world's Natural Laws, The Fae Treaty of Decree of 1359 A.C., and my contract with vampire King William Compton, I hereby sentence you to be taken apart, with no chance of life."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Helloooo
> 
> Well that was a wild ride from start to finish! But hold onto your seats because the next two and final chapters are wild too!
> 
> I hope you liked the twist with the Decrees (which I've been hinting at since Chapter 1). All details of this story serve a purpose, and many are important parts of the Book 2 plot! So what did you think? Give me some love in the comments!
> 
> ALSO THANKS FOR LOKIEDOKIE9 for editing this WHOLE STORY, she's the true MVP
> 
> Much love, see you guys next week for the second last chapter!


	11. Chapter 11

Eric's coffin was pried about five minutes after sundown.

"Eric!" cried Pam, blood tears running down her face.

Today had been literal hell. He spent the day locked in his coffin, covered in a blanket of silver that cut him so deep he really believed the chains would completely sink through his body if they were on him any longer. Twelve long hours of silent dark torture, wondering if Pam was safe. He couldn't bear the thought of losing her. Pam was all he had left in the world - literally the only person who cared about him. And when he didn't think of Pam dying, he wanted to take a stroll in the sun. It was like an infectious thought, spreading to every fiber of his body. Nothing else mattered but dying. Pamela took the heavy chains off his torso using gloves.

"Thank fuck you're okay, Eric I was so worried." Her voice was breaking.

"Hurry up," he ordered with clenched teeth. She took the chains off his legs and wrists.

It felt like a million pounds lifted off his body. The relief of his wounds healing was so great he could actually cry. He got out of the coffin, and stretched his neck. God, it was so good to move again. Pam punched him in the shoulder and he shot her a look.

"I am so fuckin' pissed at you!" She barked, tears still falling from the corners of her eyes. "You left me to run Fangtasia by myself on Halloween so you could get laid, then you call me to casually tell me there's a psycho necromancer bitch on the loose and to chain myself up and spend the day awake, in pain and by alone?!"

He could see why she would be pissed.

"I didn't get laid," he answered, smiling.

She tried to punch him again, but he caught her fist. Annoyed Pam was his favourite Pam. He pulled her close, and buried her face in his chest. She quietly sobbed, and he placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head. He was so relieved to be holding Pamela in his arms. He spent the day trapped in the horrible nightmare of thinking she could die today.

"I wanted to walk in the sun so bad. Like it was the most important thing in the whole world," she whispered, putting her arms around him. "It was so -"  
"Terrifying," he finished.

"I thought I had lost you again," she said. "First I can't find you, then you don't remember me, now this. I can't do this without you, Eric."

She looked up at him and he wiped one of her bloody tears away. "I'm sorry you had to go through that alone. I had no time to get to you, Raven had to- " his voice trailed off. Raven. The spell had worked, which meant she…had failed. He felt like there was silver around his heart. "I have to speak with Bill, he probably needs me."

If Raven was alive, she probably wouldn't be for much longer. Bill would certainly not let this go. Eric put on clean clothes, while Pam sipped on a blood bag from the fridge.

"Did you feel her die?" She asked.

"She didn't have any of my blood," said Eric, slipping his jacket on.

"Oh, so you really didn't get laid. It's not like you to take things slow." Pam raised an eyebrow.

Too slow. Raven Blackwood was, for all accounts, dead. If she wasn't, maybe he could turn her and Bill would spare her. Pam was spoiled and certainly could use a little sister. Could witches even be turned? While Eric drank three blood bags - blood was grossly thick when cold - he tried Raven's cell phone repeatedly. Straight to voicemail. They left for Bill's house, cutting through the dark night sky. The blanket of city lights quickly faded to farm fields, trailer parks and woods. He could see where Raven's house was, off in the distance. No lights to be seen, just empty darkness. His heart tightened more, a lump in his throat.

They reached William Compton's house, and the driveway was filled with black SUVs and vans. The place was crawling with the AVL's guards. His least favourite Irish must have been there.

"Gay stormtroopers," Eric greeted the 6 men wearing black heavy military gear standing by the front door.

As Eric and Pam entered the house all they could hear was Bill Compton and the shrieks of Nan Flanagan as they argued in his closed office. They awkwardly stood by the door.

"This is all your fault! All of it. And that's exactly what I'm gonna tell the Authority," Bill said firmly.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Nan screamed back.

"If you'd let me kill all the witches months ago when I wanted to, none of this would have happened!"

Eric was fooled. Bill didn't show mercy by not killing Raven in that very room all those nights ago, she was never in any danger at all. Bill was forced to keep Raven, Marnie and the others alive on the Authority's orders. Eric guessed that witches or not, they were still humans and killing them was forbidden. So when Bill ordered Eric to deal with the coven, it was another one of his fucking traps. If he had killed any of them, Bill could finally kill him off. Eric did not like getting played.

"You cannot kill any of them! If you had any idea of the factions I'm fighting within the-"

"Eric?" A voice said behind him.

He spun around and saw Sookie Stackhouse was sitting in the living room across the hallway. Pam rolled her eyes and stood closer to Bill's office door, listening in. Eric approached Sookie and sat with her on the black velvet couch.

"I'm glad you're okay. This is all so messed up," Sookie began. "Thank God Raven warned my friends."

Eric nodded. Sookie sat there, awkwardly, eyes fixed on the floor. He hadn't seen Sookie in a really long time, since she was at Fangtasia last. She looked so different from what he remembered. He wished she'd go back to how he remembered her.

"Sookie, I remember everything. I remember us," Eric confessed. "I didn't tell you earlier because…I don't know why. I was embarrassed, I guess. But nothing's changed."

"Nothing's changed?" She repeated. "You did."

"I haven't. I'm me, just…more. The Eric you met then, is still in me."

She paused for a second. Her gaze was still afraid of meeting his. Sookie shrunk into the couch. She looked so small and frail.

"Uh-uh."

"Sookie…look at me." He moved down the couch, closer to her. She didn't flinch away. "Can't you see him in my eyes?"

He gently tilted her chin up toward his. Her big brown eyes finally looked at him. She let out a small smile. That weekend at Sookie's without his memory ironically made him remember the person he was when he was human. He was warm, kind, protective, loyal. Centuries roaming this earth alongside Godric and Pam, mixed with all the pain and sin that made up life on this earth had made him tuck away his gentler parts. He only sometimes let his gentleness show with Pam nowadays. And now with Sookie.

"Yes," she whispered.

"So what's the problem?" Eric still grazed her jawline with his finger. Sookie's skin was warm and soothing.

"Bill," she confessed.

He was expecting silver chains around his heart again, like thoughts of Raven and Pam being dead haunted him. But it didn't come. Eric knew how Sookie felt about Bill Compton. But he didn't expect her love for him to be this... absolute. He pulled his hand away. He wasn't angry, or mad. Just disappointed. Maybe annoyed. How could her love for Bill be so blinding?

"When Lafayette called me this morning and told me what Marnie was doing, all I could think about was Bill dying in the sun. I can't even bear the thought of a world without him in it. It's like someone put a vice around my heart. I couldn't even breathe."

Eric knew what she meant. Strangely enough, that's how he felt about ten minutes ago. Sookie grabbed his hand.

"I love you Eric," Sookie blurted out. "But I love Bill, too."

"How is that even possible? To love two people at once?" He asked her.

"I think it's because you've both given me so much of your blood. Maybe it's just chemical."

The office doors burst wide open and Pamela rushed into the living room, pretending she was there all along checking out her fingernails, and not eavesdropping.

"Fire killed her 400 years ago, we can only hope that it works again." Bill walked out of his office, and headed up the stairs.

"Blowing up Moon Goddess Emporium is not a 21st century solution," barked Nan Flanagan walking right behind him.

"Actually, it is the way I'll do it," Bill yelled back.

Sookie rushed to the foyer, desperate.

"You're blowing up Moon Goddess?!" She asked from the bottom of the stairs.

"You're fucking our whole agenda up the ass, Compton. You have no idea what agreements are in place with the witches," Nan said, cell phone in hand. She barked orders into the cellphone, walking back into the office.

"God, I fucking hate her." Bill muttered under his breath.

"Bill you can't do this! Tara, Jesus, Lafayette and other humans are in there!" Sookie cried.

"Well they bet on the wrong horse, it's too bad," Eric sighed, crossing his arms and leaning against the foyer wall. He was enjoying this Sookie-Bill tension a little too much.

"My kind is still in danger, Sookie," scolded Bill. "Seventeen vampires walked in the sun today, two of my Sheriffs are missin' and I almost watched Jessica roast like a chicken out there! I can't risk total genocide to save your friends."

"But the day is over! You're safe!" Sookie insisted.

"That's the thing about the sun, Sookie, it will rise again tomorrow," Eric added.

"Well, at least let me help. I can-"

"No!" Bill interrupted her, walking back downstairs and confronting her. "Every time you help you almost get killed. I can't have you anywhere near this, it's going to get really ugly."

"And if innocent people die?" She shouted.

"It's war. It happens."

"Lovable, isn't he?" Eric added sarcastically. This was the real Bill. If Sookie were to ignore that ugly part of Compton, then they truly deserved each other.

Sookie scoffed, her hands clenched into fists. She left the house, heavy-footed and in a hurry, slamming the door shut behind her. Eric stared at Bill, who looked straight back at him. It was ugly, but Bill had done the right thing.

"Have you heard from Raven?" Bill asked.

"No, she's not picking up the phone."

"Dammit," he hissed, walking back up the stairs.

* * *

They drove in silence, crammed in a single black van, straight to the Moon Goddess Empire. Eric was behind the wheel, as usual. Nan had left, taking all of her security with her, leaving them to fight the witches alone in classic AVL fashion. She had a PR nightmare to deal with. It was all over the news that vampires in Shreveport area decided, for unknown reasons, to just take a stroll mid-morning and burn to a crisp. He could feel the excitement radiating from Pam and Jessica in the backseat. Eric knew witch hunting was a beloved human sport at one time, but it never stopped being a beloved vampire past-time. Eric just wanted Raven to be okay. He just wanted to see her smile one more time. He wanted for her to not have died trying to save him. The streets were absolutely deserted, with the exception of one old pick-up truck and a red Audi - his Audi, parked near the shop. Raven must have some balls to have taken his favourite car. He parked the van in the middle of the street and they all got out and armed up. Bill had loaded up the van with a lot of nice toys. Eric chose a MP5A3, Bill had a MPK5, Pam got two SMG's and Jessica went for a full rocket launcher - a bit overkill, but they were going in blind. They walked to the store.

"Our objective is to kill the witch by any means necessary," ordered Bill.

"What about Raven?" Eric asked.

Bill paused for a second.

"She failed her task, I assume she is dead already."

"And if she isn't?"

"Then she betrayed us and will be eliminated."

Eric swallowed dry. He did not like this plan. He knew Raven would never join Marnie. But he didn't like the alternative either. Would he have to kill Bill to save her?

"We end this tonight. Are we clear?"

"Crystal," snapped Pam. "Can we blow up these bitches already? I got a mani-pedi at 4."

"Alright, let's roll. Eric go around back." Bill shouted.

Suddenly running footsteps came from a dark alley. Jason Stackhouse appeared in the street, shouting.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Stop! Stop!" He waved his arms around. They all stopped.

"Jason, what are you doing here?" Bill asked, putting his gun down.

"You can't blow that place up," Jason said, out of breath. "Sookie is in there! Put that thing down." Jason motioned Jessica to put down the rocket launcher, which she complied.

"What? I told her to stay away!" Bill cried.

"And you expected her to listen? Do you even know her?" Eric said, putting his gun down.

"Fuckin' Sookie." Bill complained.

"Fuckin' Sookie?" Jason retorted, angry.

"Yeah. Fuckin' Sookie," Pam answered without patience. "As usual, she's in the goddamn way!"

"I don't believe this," Jason snapped. "Sookie saved you guys how many times in the past three years? She let you drink her blood like it was your own private soda fountain. And you!" He yelled at Eric. "Sookie saved you when you were out in the cold, she opened her home to you-"

"Technically, it's my home," Eric barked back.

"Go fuck yourself! It's her house." Jason paused, looking at the vampires. "Are you guys fucking nuts?"

They all looked at each other. Eric was surprised Bill didn't abort this mission the second he knew Sookie was in there. Bill Compton clearly loved his position as King more than he loved Sookie Stackhouse. He hated how politics and power corrupted people. He had seen it happen again and again over the centuries. It seemed to be a part of human nature, that only got worse in vampires.

"Holy shit, gentleman!" Yelled Pam. "Do not tell me you'd put our entire species at risk for a gash in a sundress."

Jason and Bill cocked their eyebrows in disbelief.

"He's right." Bill finally said. "We have to find another way."

"Thank you. And just so you know," Jason warned, taking a small knife out of his pocket. "There is a spell around the whole dang place, watch."

He threw the knife towards the store and just shy of 4 yards in front of them, the knife hit a golden curtain, stopping in midair. They could hear electricity burn the knife into dust, before it disappeared completely. Their options were quickly diminishing. Cutting the night air, the scream of a woman came from within the store and chilled the air around them.

"Sookie!" Bill yelled from the top of his lungs. "Sookie!"

They could see movement in the store and suddenly Kirsch and Luis - the two Sheriffs that were missing - came running out of the store, ready to attack. They were clearly under Marnie's control. Pam and Eric fired several rounds at their chests until they exploded mid-jump.

"Holy shit!" Yelled Jason. "I see Sookie!"

Sookie and Marnie walked out of the store, followed by none other than Raven Blackwood herself. She was covered in blood, iron-collared and hands-tied. Eric could not believe his eyes. He was too afraid to look away and realize this was a ghost, or an illusion. Raven was standing on the sidewalk, looking back at him. She was alive. Raven was alive. He didn't lose her. Not yet.

* * *

Marnie was dead. Eric watched Raven perform the ritual curiously. She muttered words in Latin while drawing runes on herself with Marnie's blood. Then she stabbed her precisely in the heart, pulled the knife out and licked it clean. Power suited her. The golden veil dropped as soon as Marnie's lifeless body hit the floor. Sookie ran to Bill, who embraced her in his arms. But that surprisingly didn't bother him, he was more worried about the little pale woman, kneeling on the sidewalk.

"Hold up," sneered Pam. "Is that goth bitch wearing my Versace house slippers?"

"Pam," he snapped. "Go inside and glamour the humans."

Pam rolled her eyes and scoffed, but followed Bill and Jessica and walked into Moon Goddess. His gaze when back to Raven, who had her hands on Marnie's dead body. She muttered more Latin words and suddenly the corpse lying on the sidewalk burst into green flames, illuminating the whole store front in a soft emerald light, then it disappeared into dust. Marnie Storybrook was no more.

"That was actually really hot." Eric approached Raven, extending a hand to her and helping her up.

"Oh." She looked at the knife, then back at him. "I've actually never taken anyone apart before."

Eric reached for her neck, and grabbed the heavy collar. He pulled the iron apart, then twisted the metal, so no one could use the damn thing on her again. Eric threw the little ball of metal up with force, and he watched it disappear behind the buildings down the street.

"Thanks," she muttered, moving closer to him. "Eric, I'm sorry I failed you. I fell for the stupidest illusion trick in the book and -"

"You!" Bill Compton interrupted, coming back out from the store. "You almost got Sookie killed!" He roared.

Bill came in charging, rifle up and pointing straight at Raven.

"Bill! She just saved everyone!" Eric said firmly, putting himself between the witch and the King.

"Sookie wasn't in any danger, I swear!" Said Raven, instantly putting her hands up. "Witches are forbidden from taking a fae's light! It's a law spell, thousands of years old! Like the invitatio spell, that keeps vampires out of human houses without invitation. A witch doesn't need to be present, the spell just happens!"

The invitation thing was a witch's spell this entire time? Eric did not know that.

"She's telling the truth Bill!" Sookie said, running out right behind him, almost out of breath. "If I read her mind, the same will happen to me."

Sookie eyed Raven and gave her a small nod. Sookie Stackhouse Raven had saved everyone with no casualties other than Marnie - an outcome no one she loved was able to come up with.

"How do you know this?" Asked Bill, gun still pointing up at Eric's chest.

"Because I tried weeks ago when she came down to save Eric." Sookie answered.

"Save Eric from what?"

"Marnie put a spell on me the night I attacked their coven. She took my memories from me, and Sookie took care of me until Raven found us and gave me my memories back." Eric came clean.

"Is that what Jason was talking about earlier?"

"Yes."

"You lied to me, Eric," Bill threatened, squinting his blue eyes. "You lied to your King."

Bill Compton's total disregard for Eric's service and loyalty was really getting on his nerves. For how fucking long would he have to endure Bill's pettiness? His need for fucking revenge? He was done with this game.

"Fuck the King," Eric retorted, stepping closer to him.

Bill Compton squeezed the trigger. The rifle spat bullet after bullet, mercilessly. Eric felt them piercing through his skin. Three, five, eight, he lost count. Sookie screamed, and tugged on his shoulder, making him stop. Eric looked down to his torso. Bill either had shit aim, or it was a non lethal lash out of anger because he had missed the heart and his head completely. Eric couldn't feel the bullets being pushed out, but the wounds were closing. He went cold. Bill had shot at such a short range that the bullets went straight through his body. He quickly turned around, to see Raven holding her stomach, blood gushing down her hips staining her dress and legs red. She had bullet holes in her shoulders, chest, stomach, down her arms, thighs. Her eyes were wide in fear, she let out a small moan.

"No!" Eric gasped in horror.

She looked up at him with wide teary eyes.

"Nunc Adsum, Ego autem non sum," she whispered.

And just like that, she vanished into thin air.

Eric jumped high, flying into the sky. He wasn't even in control, his whole body knew exactly where to go. He saw Raven teleport before, he knew where she went. His body kept flying, almost on auto-pilot and before he knew it, he could see her house. The lights were on in the middle of the dark forest. He landed right by the porch, and ran up the stairs. She was lying on the floor inside right by the door. Her body was on its side, unconscious on the floor.

"Raven!" Eric called out.

He could see the smears of blood from the porch up to where she was. She had teleported to where he stood and then crawled inside. He tried to grab her feet, but they were just outside his reach, the invisible wall pushing him back.

"Raven let me in! I can give you my blood!"

She gently opened her eyes. Eric bit down his wrist and showed it to her. But she just laid there motionless, looking blankly at nothing. He watched the pool of her own blood increased around her like a red halo of death. The smell of blood poisoning every fiber in his body. Eric tried to jump to her, but the house would not let him. He stood there for what felt like an eternity. The bite mark on his wrist closed. Angry, he slapped the doorframe.

"Raven!" He screamed again. "Listen to me, dammit!"

Her eyes met his. Blood now spilled from her mouth. Her torso gently moved, and she let out tiny gags. Eric was watching Raven choking on her own blood.

"Let me in!" Eric roared.

He had asked her to invite him in so many times before, and he was always met with fierceness and sassiness. It was literally one of the first things he ever told her when they met on this very porch. But right now, all he could see was her life leaving her body. He watched Raven's body relax while she died and there was absolutely nothing he could do to stop it. Now this was absolute torture. It hurt more than being strapped with silver. This was like losing Godric all over again, and it hurt him so much he would give up anything to make the pain stop.

"Raven, please," he begged, feeling his eyes fill with bloody tears. "Invite me in! Let me fix you."

Her face frowned, in pain. She gently coughed up more blood. There was so much blood. He never wanted to put blood back in somebody.

"Invite me in Raven, right now! It's an order!" He punched the door frame, it cracked right open.

Her body didn't move anymore, he could hear her heartbeat slowing down. Her breath was shallow now. It was agonizing to watch. He never felt this powerless before. She didn't invite him in out of stubbornness or pride but because she was on the verge of death and words could no longer leave her. Eric was too late. Her body was too damaged. Bill Compton got what he wanted all along: payback for losing Sookie. He should have never taken Raven to him. Eric should have never let Bill see how he looked at her. Eric should have never attacked the coven the second he saw her standing in the circle. He should have never let his curiosity take him back to this house after Raven tracked Sookie Stackhouse. If he had just left her the hell alone, she wouldn't be bleeding out at his feet. He went numb, dropping to his knees, defeated. She coughed again. There was so much blood on the floor he was shocked she was still breathing at all. A bottomless emptiness filled him.

"Raven…I'm so sorry," he cried, defeated.

He wished he could at least hold her in his arms while she died, but all he could do was stay with her while she went slowly. He wouldn't let her go alone. Everyone Eric ever loved died because of him. Raven Blackwood was not going to be the exception. He heard the faintest breath leave her body, carrying the most beautiful whisper he's ever heard.

"Come in."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!
> 
> This is one of my favourite Chapters - I know, I probably said that about so many chapters, but I'm really passionate about this one. The last scene popped into my head when I was writing Chapter 2 or 3 and it was such a journey to write a whole story to get us here, to this (very important) point.
> 
> Thanks again to lokiedokie9 for editing this whole story!
> 
> I really hope you liked it, tell you what you thought in the comments! Much love, see you next week!


	12. The Body

**A.N.: I'm giving a warning since this is currently marked a Teen story. Mild smut below! If you want to skip it, go to the next text break. ******

Eric crawled on beside her, and lifted Raven's head onto his lap. He bit into his wrist again and fed his blood to her pale lips. It was cold, thick, and metallic. As she drank The pain instantly melted away. She could no longer feel air running through the insides of her body. She could feel the bullets retracting away, leaving her and falling to the floor. The splitting headache faded. Air filled her lungs instead of blood. The room no longer felt cold, sounds were no longer distant. Even though Eric was dead, his blood was like drinking life itself. She was whole again. Raven felt the air move against every hair on her skin. She could smell the jasmine flowers from her potted tree in the tea room next door, and the aging books all the way from the study. She healed faster and better than any potion she had ever brewed. Raven felt her magic running strong from her spine to the tips of her fingers. The more she drank, the better she felt. In fact, this was the best she had ever felt. Much to her disappointment, Eric pulled his wrist away.

She sat up, her right hand almost slipped on the blood that covered the wooden floors. She looked at her body, she was still covered in blood but her wounds were healed completely, they didn't even scar. It was like it never even happened. She looked up at his handsome face. Eric Northman was in her house and this was the hottest he ever looked. His face was incredibly close to hers, leaning in and taking a deep breath.

"You smell…so good," he whispered as his fangs descended.

"No biting," Raven warned. She was not in the mood for more holes in her body.

He smirked and slowly licked the blood from her chin, up to her lips. She lost herself in his kiss, wrapping her hands around his jaw. He deeply kissed her, and his lips travelled from her mouth down her neck. Between kisses, she could feel his tongue tracing her skin. Eric was tasting the blood on her body. She should have warned him again not to, but having him so close to her felt so fucking good. He was eager, hungry for her. The more blood he tasted, the more he wanted her. Feeling his mouth on her filled Raven with pure lust. His cold hands travelled from her arms to the collar of her dress and he ripped it wide open, from her chest all the way down to the hem. He kissed each of her breasts, his sharp teeth grazed her nipples. His lips moved all the way down her stomach, kissing it with hunger. He gave her one last look before he went down on her. He had her blood smeared all around his mouth and jaw. He had the sexiest smile tugging at his lips and she smiled back.

He retracted his fangs and dove in between her legs, his tongue massaging her clit perfectly. A shock ran through her legs. Raven threw her head back, and ran her fingers through Eric's soft dirty blonde hair. Both of his hands cupped her ass, drawing her in closer. He sucked on her clit and Raven could not help but moan. Her heart, which was barely beating minutes ago, was going to explode out of her chest. She was bursting with wanting. She wanted his body. To touch all of it, to kiss all of it, to feel him everywhere. And she wanted him to feel and kiss every inch of hers.

Eric came up for air laying her ass back down on the floor, and Raven shrugged her shoulders, letting the slip dress slide off her arms. He stared at her bare body wide-eyed, taking in her open legs, exposed beside his knees. He took his bullet torn jacket off, then his black low-cut muscle shirt, and unbuckled his belt.

Eric was hypnotized by the magical woman in front of him. Raven was finally his to take, and he did.

* * *

It was addictive - the feeling of being inside her. Raven Blackwood wasn't some tender soft, innocent doe-eyed sex kitten, melting like wax at his touch. Raven wanted him just as much was he wanted her. Feeling her hips sway and writhe against him, her body quiver with every orgasm, hearing her moan his name, the warmth and taste of her skin, all of it was nothing short of spectacular. Her body clung to his with so much wanting it was like a second skin, like their bodies were made for each other. He had amazing sex before, sure. Eric had fucked dozens of women this year alone. But this kind of sheer fucking passion was hard to find. It was the kind of connection that made him feel alive, it transcended sex. Maybe the ancient tales of lustful witches were correct all along. Perhaps stories of Sirens, Nymphs and Succubus were all other names for witches.

Eric watched Raven's chest rise and fall while she slept with a peaceful expression on her face. He would gladly spend the rest of his nights on this earth fucking her passionately, but he knew she had been through a lot in the past 24 hours, so he just watched her rest. He could feel his blood run in her veins. Eric owned a witch - owned in a way Bill Compton did not. That stroke his ego and pride and he fucking loved it. And not only that, he did not just owned a witch, be he owned this witch. Raven was special. She could Read Eric like an open book, since the very first night they met. She also had a fire inside her, a kind of bravery that only people who had nothing to lose have - Eric admired that. He studied her body, marvelling at this newest possession. She was almost as white as the sheets that hugged her satisfied body. She had beautiful full breasts, soft hips and strong thick thighs. Her skin was warm, warmer than regular humans. And she smelled as good as she tasted. Raven was so pale she looked like a vampire already. The blissful post-sex feeling, however, didn't last long. Flashbacks of this same body sprawled in the entryway covered in bullet holes and blood attacked his mind. Of him standing beside the golden veil, agreeing to die to for her. He remembered soulful dread of thinking of her being dead inside Moon Goddess Emporium. The fear of waiting for her outside Bill Compton's house, not knowing what he was going to do to her.

It was unlike him to care for other people, he knew that about himself. He was also lucky that he enjoyed, generally speaking, being an a total fucking asshole. However Eric didn't keep an emotional distance because he was incapable of love, but because he when he loved someone he loved deeply. Irrevocably, fiercely, above all logic and reason. And all those he loved, he lost. And hell had already lost so much in the past thousand years. His entirely family, his village, his maker. He lost countless lovers in the past thousands years - due to war, sickness, other vampires, werewolves, hell even the AVL murdered the Sylvie in cold blood. Loving Pam was dangerous enough, and he was fine with having just that. He could not bare the thought of losing Raven, he never did. There was an inexplicable pull he felt for her, since the moment he first laid eyes on her, over a year ago. There was something about Raven that kept dragging him back to this house, over and over again. All the times he visited her in the middle of the night. All the nights he watched her from the woods. He couldn't even watch her get in a fucking cab. Of all the bad things that have happened to women you liked, this is by far the worst, Pams words echoed in his head. It was dangerous for Eric to love someone. He had hurt her already by selling her to Bill, by sending her to deal with Marnie alone, by letting Bill shoot through him. Guilt washed his insides like acid. Whatever this with Raven was, it had to stop. Not bearing to look at her anymore, his eyes wandered the room. He got up, careful to not wake her, and he looked around. It was a large bedroom, and all the furniture was mismatched. The bed was made of ancient, thick wood, with a tall canopy, hand-carved with flowers. She had an art deco vanity complete with a round mirror, and by the door was a wide armoire. He peaked inside, and chuckled at the sight of her clothes hanging. They were all exclusively black satin strappy dresses. Some had black lace hems, others had flowers embroidered on them, some had different lengths. Eric picked up his pants off the floor and put them back on, then he had a delightful idea: it was time to explore all of the secrets this house kept.

He stepped out of the hallway and looked around him. The walls were covered in old crimson red wallpaper and victorian glass sconces dimly lit the hallway. He looked back at the bedroom behind him, taking in the size of the second floor. This house was was huge on the inside, much bigger than the inside. There had to be magic at work here. Eric opened the first closed door he could find out in the hallway. He instantly coughed up dust. No one had stepped foot in this room in at least a century. Judging by the style of furniture alone he guessed longer. The mattress looked soft and lumpy, made of feathers. The bed was unmade, sheets pulled to one side. It had thick velvet draping off the canopy above. The walls were covered in old wallpaper, faded and peeling. There was a large five-foot tall fireplace. It'd been centuries since he'd seen a fireplace so big inside a house. On top of the mantel there were little portraits and some glass photographs. Raven was in one of them, but she looked younger, maybe fifteen and dressed differently. She was wearing a much more modest dress, everything up to her neck was covered. In the photo with her was another woman, equally as stunning, with long light coloured hair and big round eyes. Something caught his eye. Another dusty, small portrait had the same woman sitting beside a very familiar face who stared back at him. Eric picked it up and his jaw tightened as he examined the couple. He rushed back into Raven's bedroom, standing beside her sleeping body.

"Where did you get this?" He asked loudly, waking her up.

Raven woke up in a jump, he had probably scared her. Once she looked up at his face, she relaxed.

"Get what?" She rubbed her eyes.

He waved the photograph.

"You aren't supposed to go in there!" She snapped, getting out of bed.

She scowled at him, standing so close they were almost touching.

"Who is she?" He demanded showing her the picture. "Who is this woman?"

"That was Mabel, she was in my coven," Raven explained, her face relaxing. "She was executed for witchcraft in Boston two hundred years ago, along with all of my sisters." Raven's words lingered around the room. "Why?"

Eric paced around the room, staring at the photograph. Those boyish eyes staring back at him.

"The person in the photograph with her…was Godric, my maker."

Raven's hand grazed his arm, and she gently squeezed his bicep. It sent chills up his spine. She gently took the frame from his hands to examine it closer.

"I remember him," she said, then chuckled. "Mabel and Godric dated for a while, seven or eight years maybe. Violet had to create a soundproof spell for Mabel's room. They were so loud in bed it was driving Catherine and Agatha crazy."

It was like a glass wall had been shattered. Godric had been in this house. His maker was romantically involved with a witch. Raven had known him. Things became a lot more interesting.

"Who are Violet, Catherine and Agatha?"

"I'll show you."

Raven put the picture down carefully on her nightstand, and slipped on one of her black dresses and led him downstairs. He found her lack of underwear usage to be sexily amusing. At the bottom of the stairs, a mop danced and twirled on the blood puddle in the middle of the entrance. Magic would never not be fascinating. Trying to not get distracted by the delicious scent of her blood, Eric followed her through the house. Unlike his home, hers was filled with crap. Books, vases, clay sculptures, candles, porcelain little animals, African tribe masks, plants, wall hangings, tapestries, more plants, paintings, trinkets of all varieties. When they passed the kitchen, he saw a vintage ringer washer in the corner, bloody rags squeezing themselves through the rollers. He hadn't laid eyes on a ringer washer since the second world war. If there was such a thing as a household museum, this house was it. It was one long trip down memory lane, with furnishings and decor from so many eras it was overwhelming. The house was also never ending; it was room after room after room. How could one person live in such a large place all by herself? They finally ended up in a large formal dining room. The walls were covered with portraits of people. She stood in front of a large painting of six women - one was herself. He gathered this must have been painted in the early 1700s, judging by their clothes. The women were all beautiful. Four must have been in the 30s, Raven was the smallest one, and in the middle was an elderly lady with a stern look on her face.

"This was my coven." She pointed at the serious woman in the center. "Agatha was the eldest and our High Priestess, head of our coven. She raised me as my mother died in childbirth and my father was… busy. She was one of the greatest master conjurers of her time. Even better than my father."

"What's a conjurer?"

"Conjurers can summon, control and banish demons and spirits. It's very dangerous work, but she was a genius. I mean Agatha Beekman created seven of the twelve different summoning circles. Do you know how insane that is?" Uhm, no he didn't. She moved on to the next woman in the portrait, the one he recognized to be: "Mabel. She was a healer. She worked at the Boston Dispensary. Catherine was a potions master and work at an apothecary. Harriet was a medium and fortune teller and Violet was an enchantress. She was going to be my mentor, but I ended up teaching myself. Not that it matters anyway, without a proper mentor my capabilities aren't recognized in the Church of Night."

Eric looked at her shy smile. It veiled a lot of pain, and sadness.

"And you all lived in this house?"

"Yes. It's all I have left of them."

Eric didn't understand how it wouldn't be incredibly painful to live among the ghosts of her family. She was living in the middle of her family's memorial. Every corner was a physical reminder of the women who no longer walked this earth. The memories of her sisters clearly still hurt her, judging by the locked and forgotten rooms upstairs. They were untouched time capsules, like they were waiting for their return. It felt incredibly personal, standing there watching her tell him about her family. Seeing her so emotionally vulnerable should have made him nine shades of uncomfortable, but yet. It didn't.

"Do you ever see them? Their spirits?" He asked.

"No," she answered shortly, looking away. "When bodies are burnt their spirit can no longer visit their realm. There's nothing to anchor them here."

"Antonia burnt at the stake in the 1600s, why is she still here?" Eric asked.

"She's a necromancer, they aren't allowed in the dead realm. Whatever forces govern there are too afraid of what they could do if they let them in. So since there's nowhere for them to go, they get stuck in this plane forever."

"So…Marnie is still here?"

"No, I banished her to purgatory when I burned her. Antonia too. It was the only place I could think of that their souls could go to."

"You said you were an enchantress, not a conjurer."

She laughed again, for real this time. It was that laugh he liked so much.

"Glad to see you're paying attention. Well, not much to do in this house by myself, so I read a lot. I read all the books in the study, plus whatever I could find hidden in their bedrooms."

Raven lead him to the kitchen and much to his fascination the kitchen magically prepared food. They sat by the kitchen island while a pie and a block of cheese floated out of the vintage fridge, plate and cutlery flew out of the cupboards and they softly landed in front of Raven. She cut herself a generous slice of the apple pie and the yellow strong smelling cheese. She was British alright. While she ate, they shared stories of the past. He told her how he met Pamela in San Francisco. His Viking life. Funnily enough they found out they both lived in London at the same time, but Raven was just an infant. She was very curious about his life - something Sookie never was. She never once asked about himself. And he was equally intrigued by Raven.

"How come they burnt your sisters but not you?"

"They did arrest all of us. Witchcraft trials weren't as prevalent in the 18th century as the previous ones, so they had to add a lot of other bullshit to make it stick. Theft, because we had too many nice things in the house for being a bunch of unmarried women. Mabel got charged with murdering a newborn, even though it was just a stillbirth. Mabel was a healer, she wasn't capable of killing anyone, even if she tried. Harriet and Violet were charged with crimes against nature, for being in a same sex relationship, which is absolutely ludicrous. That one got the court heated. But the big one was arson. Someone burnt 65 acres of wheat crops outside of town, and we got blamed for it."

"I asked my father for help," she continued. "I figured him being the Bishop in the Church of Night would be of some use, but there is a witch rule that supposedly tied his hands. Once caught, a witch must perish alone, in order to not further expose us. I still haven't forgiven him for that. How could he have done nothing when his only job was to protect us?" she took a big breath, shaking her head. "There was a bullshit trial, the prosecutor had a thing for me. Damien Williams, posing as merciful man, suggested that I should live because I was too young to die for my crimes, that my sisters made me do it and I could repent or whatever. Their punishment was to be burnt alive, and mine was to watch. The town was alive with hatred on execution day, people surrounded us, yelling horrible things, throwing rotten food at us. But my sisters didn't scream or cry. They died quietly in the fire, holding hands - they were strong until the end."

Eric wanted to reach for her hand and squeeze it hard, but his nagging voice of reason told him it would be best not to. Still, he knew survivor's guilt better than anyone else. Everyone he ever lost was lost, usually because of senseless violence. Humans had been so cruel to witches in the past millennia. His mother always told him witchcraft was evil, since he was a young boy. But it wasn't until Christianity took over Europe completely that fear and hatred spread. Eric watched it happen, but he always looked away. He thought he was above it all, being a vampire. It simply wasn't his problem. Plus, how could his beautiful and kind mother be wrong? Witchcraft was evil. Anyone who meddled with it had it coming and it was not his war to fight in. Only too late he had realized that it wasn't quite true. Witches were often kind. They were healers and midwives, made offerings to the Gods for better harvests and milder winters. Yet society still often shunned them. For centuries, women were made to obey their husbands. Birth heirs, be graceful, weak and quiet. Cook and clean. Being a rebel himself, that's why he loved Pam and Nora so much. They were defiant women, stuck in a world filled with lesser men, who were just powerful by being birthed male. As he watched her empty plate fly to sink and disappear under soap bubbles, he realized why humanity hated witches: witches didn't bend the knee to societal expectations of them. Raven was an unmarried woman, her whole coven was. And she was not sad or upset by it in the slightest. He craved her taste again.

"You taste different." he told her.

"Like what?" she asked, after she swallowed her food.

"Dry, like wine."

"I taste dry?" she scoffed, not taking the compliment.

"But rich and pure, like humans used to be before industrialization." his mouth was already watering. "You are absolutely delicious. If Tru Blood tasted like you, not a single vampire would bite a human ever again."

She laughed and scoffed again.

"Well don't get used to it," he was taken aback. "Don't get me wrong, I love a chicken fried steak just like any other person, but I'm not gonna fuck a cow while I eat it."

"That's what you think of vampires?" he cocked an eyebrow. That was a bold statement for a mortal to make.

"Do you or do you not, fuck your food?" she had a devilish smile on her face. "Anyway, now that you have my blood in you, I have to tell you something. It might-"

She was cut off by a sudden knock at the front, which door that sent Eric's mind spinning. Sure that it was Bill Compton trying to finish the job, he rushed to the front door before Raven could even react. He opened the door, fangs out, hissing in primal rage, ready to rip his head off. Bill Compton deserved to die and he didn't care the consequences.

But instead there was another man standing on Raven's porch. He was an elderly man in his 60s, with spiky grey hair and a pair of thick black eyebrows, almost covering his piercing blue eyes. He wore a three piece black silk suit with a white neck-stock. His body stood tall, and stiff, hands grasped on a long and thing polished wooden cane. This didn't look like Bill Compton's staff. The man eyed him and looked unimpressed at Eric's shirtlessness. He had a deep raspy voice, with a faint British accent.

"I see my daughter took after Mabel Reid. How…depressing," he sighed.

* * *

Raven and Eric sat in the living room with Elijah for what felt like years. Raven and Eric sat together, and Elijah sat on the other velvet sofa across the room, slurping his boiling hot tea loudly. Elijah stared at Eric intensely, not breaking eye contact. Eric stared back with the chilling authority only a vampire Sheriff had. Raven's body still beamed with one hell of a post orgasm glow, which was the cherry on top of this awkward sundae. She shifted her ass on the couch but failed to get comfortable, her hips still felt stiff. There truly couldn't be a worse time for her father to visit, really. To say this was the epitome of awkward was an understatement. Her heart was ringing in her ears and she felt her face get hot.

"So…Elijah…what brings you here?" Raven asked.

He slurped loudly on his tea some more. Eric looked at him intensely, it was hard to read him. Elijah reached for the kettle to pour himself more tea. Maybe it was best to send Eric away? There was really no need for the vampire to meet her father.

"Oh, but where do I start?" He sat the kettle down on the coffee table aggressively. "Let me try. My only daughter joined a coven of inexperienced halfling witches that serve her no purpose whatsoever."

"Serve me a purpose? I didn't want to join any coven -"

"And on top of that," he interrupted, raising his voice. "She chooses a coven in another Church of Night District,"

"So you came here because you're pissed that you can't control me anymore?" She asked defiantly.

"Control you? Raven, I can't protect you anymore!" he spoke louder, the timber of his voice sent her heart racing in anger. Her father - Bishop or not - was not going to barge in her house in the middle of the night, uninvited, and yell at her as if she were a misbehaved teenager.

"Protect me?!" Raven yelled back, digging her fingernails right into her palms. "You've been shit at protecting me my whole fucking life, what could you possibly be protecting me from now?!"

"From the Authority." He said simply, as if it were obvious.

"Whose authority?" She barked.

"The Vampire Authority, Raven," Eric explained, in a calm voice.

She looked at Eric, confused. Was she missing something? She was failing to connect the dots here.

"What are you guys talking about?"

"Alexander Randall, Bishop of this Southwestern District has made a deal with the Vampire Authority to provide assistance in tracking a certain vampire. Randall delegated the task to the closest witch tracker to where the vampire in question was last seen."

"What the hell does that have to do with me?"

"It's you. You are the tracker, Raven."

"That's ridiculous! I didn't pledge my coven to Randall's District nor it's written anywhere in the Witch Rule Book that a coven or witch has to kiss the Bishop's ring! He can't make me do shit!"

"But your contract with the Louisiana Vampire King can." Elijah spat the words with pain. Raven felt a lump in her throat. "The Authority it's on it's way to pick you up, they'll be here shortly." Elijah's voice broke, he fidgeted in his seat. He looked frightened.

"Dad?" Raven asked, scared. Elijah had what it seemed to be tears in his eyes for a second. He blinked them away, looking at the fireplace. She had never seen fear on her father's face, and it terrified her to her core.

"I begged him to choose someone else. But there is no one else. Not a whole lot of witches left in Louisiana, Vampire capital of the world." he shot a dirty look at Eric before proceeding. "Randall traded your services for the safety of all wizards. Roman Zimojic agreed to put in a no-kill order on all wizards along with humans if you do this. The Authority rules all vampires world-wide. This is, of course, a political golden ticket for Randall. This certainly seals his chances for Papacy. Satan truly tests me with his irony, doesn't He? That my own daughter will be the one who-"

Raven's mind was spinning. Witches would no longer be hunted by vampires. Thousands of years of conflict would be over. Her coven, her father, Emilia, everyone she knew from the Church of the Night upstate; everyone would be safe.

"Who am I even looking for?" Raven interrupted her father's ramblings at the edge of her seat.

"Russell Edgington."

END BOOK 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for joining Raven in this journey.
> 
> Blood Moon has gotten so many hits in 12 weeks which passed any and ALL of my expectations. I was 5 chapters in when I decided to post it here, completely on whim because I swore no one would read my silly little story. Little did I know that so many people would religiously read every chapter the day it came out, week after week. I absolutely loved every kudo, hit and EVERY SINGLE comment, thank you so much for taking the time to read Raven's story. If you haven't commented already, please do so! What would you like to see in part 2?
> 
> The story isn't over, but you'll have to wait a little bit for Book 2. It will come out around November/December. It will be rated M, will have a lot more magic, more blood, more sex, and twists. You will find out about Raven's dreams, Eric and Raven's new blood bond, Raven's coven sisters, Godric, her father and mother, and the Church of Night. The show's best villain is back! Will Eric and Raven's affection for each other be able to survive their differences?
> 
> Until then, peace out.
> 
> Laura (Spicehoney)
> 
> PS: yes yes, I left it at a massive cliff hanger. Don't you know me by now?


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